“Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.”
That is the opening line of the Optimist Creed. It was first heard in the Quad Cities following the Nov. 20, 1940, chartering of what would one day become the Davenport Noon Optimist Club.
Our club recently celebrated its 85th anniversary at Common Chord in downtown Davenport, recognizing years of accomplishments, past club presidents and community milestones.
The Davenport Noon Optimist Club is part of the Iowa District and Optimist International (OI), which is an association of more than 2,500 Optimist Clubs around the world dedicated to bringing out the best in children, their communities, and themselves.
Our programs, activities and fundraisers support other Quad Cities youth-serving organizations. We raise over $150,000 annually through our two largest fundraisers, the Avenue of Flags program (since 1972), and our annual Christmas Tree Sales going on right now at the Brady Street Stadium parking lot in Davenport.
In the early OI years, clubs were male-only and had the motto “Friend of the Delinquent Boy.” In 1924, the motto changed to “Friend of the Boy” and again in the 1970s to “Friends of Youth.”
As times changed and the club grew, so did the activities and programs we provided. In the 1950s, we built a cabin on the Mississippi River near Buffalo and took kids camping. We ran basketball leagues at the Friendly House and had a model airplane contest for area youth. We have been instrumental in youth tennis and golf tournaments as well as OI-sponsored oratorical/speech contests.
Our fundraising efforts have been as varied as the programs, including selling peanuts, selling tickets to the Ringling Brother’s Circus, selling tickets to traveling Major League Baseball games in the 1940s, selling Christmas trees since 1952, and our biggest fundraiser the “Avenue of Flags” initiative.
With a focus on patriotism and respect for law, our “Respect for Law” program goes back to 1967. It continues today as we recognize a department-selected Davenport Police officer each year.
In the last 10 years we have raised just under $1 million to support local youth-serving organizations.
As our name suggests, our outlook is upbeat and our commitment to creating a more optimistic future for kids is what differentiates Optimist Clubs from any other volunteer opportunity. For more information on our club or how to join, contact our President Roland Lamantia at [email protected], or visit www.davenportnoonoptimists.com.
Terry Hendershott, executive director of Friendly House, is a Davenport Noon Optimist Club member and past president (from 2006-2007 and 2020-2021).
