Formed in April 2020, the Owen Sound and District Junior Optimist Club. This group of 16 youths ranging from ages 11 to 14 have already begun involving themselves in many community events already.

Even during this global pandemic, they have managed to continue to help! Some of the members have donated plants for the club to sell, while others have done yard work in exchange for donations, by far their most astonishing accomplishment has been their bottle drive. Members have continued to put in lots of work to keep up with the donations from the community and have far passed the goal of 1000 dollars with the bottles still coming!

They chose two local charities to donate to, which are “The Women’s Centre of Grey Bruce” and the “ Grey Bruce Animal Shelter”. For the Grey Bruce Animal Shelter, the members sold plants that they have advertised on their Facebook page.

“The Women’s Centre Grey-Bruce was delighted to learn that the proceeds from the Owen Sound & District Junior Optimist Club bottle drive will benefit the women and children served by our programs. Funds raised will be directed to rejuvenating the shelter’s backyard, including mulching a new playset area, introducing a small water feature, and providing shade and seating for the women while they are enjoying the yard. With the warm weather here, the women are eager to be outside after being limited to their rooms during the pandemic. The generosity of our community continues to shine through as evidenced by donors like the Junior Optimists, who partner with us to help women and children build safe and sustainable lives as they move away from abuse and violence.” - Carrie Stevenson from The Women’s Centre Grey Bruce.

These 16 youth and their club advisors have put a tremendous amount of effort in to all the projects they have been working on.