If you’ve spent any time in Carlisle, chances are you’ve come across an Optimist or two.
The local service club, chartered in 1958, boasts 36 members who work on a variety of projects and fundraisers throughout the year, including an annual bike rodeo and the Duck Dash at Courtcliffe Park each summer, and Christmas in Carlisle and the Learn to Skate program each winter. Members can also be found pitching in or cooking up burgers at events to support local schools and other worthwhile causes.
Currently, members range in age from early 20s to 80-plus. For some, it’s a family affair with couples working together, and second-generation members signing on.
Ella Nielsen is one of the newest Carlisle Optimists. The recent university grad is a veteran of the Learn to Skate program, and can be found volunteering at the Carlisle Arena – constructed 50 years ago thanks to the Optimists – Monday and Wednesday evenings alongside dad Mark.
“I started when I was three, and I remember power skating when I was 10, and then I started volunteering,” she told FlamboroughToday as she got ready to take the ice for a recent session.
“It’s not really a hardship when you're volunteering and everybody’s having a good time,” added Mark, who joined the club as a way to meet people when the family moved to Carlisle 22 years ago.
Optimists on duty
Also on duty at the arena were longtime member Rob O’Brien, who coordinates the Learn to Skate program, and club president Leslie Elaschuk and treasurer Sue Beckwith. Both women were at their usual post at the check-in desk, welcoming families arriving for their lessons.
“There's always five or six members in the building, right to the very end,” said O’Brien. “We have Optimists on Duty, where somebody is responsible until the last child leaves.”
The welcome desk is a new feature at the arena this year, and both Elaschuk and Beckwith enjoy greeting the families.
“We added the extra presence every week, and I like it,” said Beckwith. “I'm meeting them, and I know a lot of them…and they love it when they have somebody here to cheer them on. And it's a good opportunity to encourage them to participate in our other activities that they might not notice, like the Easter egg hunt and Christmas in Carlisle.”
A place to belong
Beckwith joined the club three years ago after retiring from her job; her husband was already a member and she was drawn to how involved the organization is in the community,
“It's pretty special in a small community to have something that has so many activities and programs and that we connect with so many other community organizations, like the food bank, Eagles Nest, the schools,” she said. “You're able to help more than just one organization, which is what I like about it.”
Elaschuk also joined about three years ago, and says being part of the club enabled her to know the community on a deeper level.
“I was new to Carlisle, I actually saw the signs saying members breakfast,” she said. “I've always volunteered for different organizations. My kids are older now, so I decided to see what it's all about.
“It's been great just for getting a sense of the community and getting to know people. Sometimes you bump into somebody you know, which is nice.”
Elaschuk noted that several veteran members of the club, like Paul Alderson, Jake Bosma and Peter Wildhagen remain active, working alongside newcomers.
Beckwith says that COVID really changed how the club operated.
“It changed the activities that we were able to do,” she said. “People had to get creative. And then we were starting to think about, what else can we do? What's something that's different, and new members bring fresh ideas.”
One new event that evolved out of the pandemic was Christmas in Carlisle, a favourite of both Elaschuk and Beckwith.
“We have trees at the four corners with carols and there’s a tree-lighting, donations for the food bank, visits with Santa,” said Elaschuk. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Across the board, service clubs are finding it a challenge to get new members, she added.
"Our club is quite active, 36 members. So for a small community, have 36 people that join, and of those 36 some are more active than others, but every single one contributes something.”
Another benefit to membership, said Elaschuk, is the social aspect, along with the mental well-being it provides.
“We know that isolation is the number one health and mental health issue right now,” she said. “It is so important for people to have that connection, and so volunteering does that for all ages.”
For the club’s older members, she adds, it means staying connected to their community.
“You can tell it's an effort for them to come but they do. They have a lot to share, and everybody's respectful and they still appreciated.”
Those interested in learning about the Carlisle Optimists, which host dinner meetings the third Thursday of each month, can visit their website to find out more.
