April 24th 08 - Ms Avon Carty of the Optimist Club of Anguilla joined Let's Talk to explain the work of the local Optimist Club as well as the week of activities being observed.
Avon was well informed about Optimist since she was one of the original charter members of the club. She expressed her joy of being able to work with children and being able to make a difference in their lives.
She had words of encouragement for persons to take note of their strengths and examine the service clubs where their skills and talents can be beneficial and to not hesitate to join up and serve since the greatest joy is achieved by giving.
Avon also spoke about The Club's week of activities and celebrations commemorating the 13th anniversary of Optimist on Anguilla. The week of activities included a triathlon, a special health talk, a cycling event, and a youth oriented positive poster competition. The week of activities also included a program for boys called "brother to brother" where primary school 6th grade boys were mentored by the men of the Club.
The Optimist Motto is "friend of youth" and Ms Carty called on all listeners to be more aware of the needs of children and to assist wherever possible. She also spoke about the role of Optimist in HIV prevention and education as well as the stigmatization of the disease. She was of the opinion that while we had come a long way in terms of acceptance of HIV positive persons in the community, that we still had work to do to eliminate stigma and prejudice completely.
For more information on the work of Optimist on Anguilla please visit their website
www.optimistaxa.org.ai
A look at some of the results of The Optimist "Positive Poster Competition."
