Scholarship Contests
Contact the District Program Chairs for support and more information.
https://www.optimist.org/documents/2024/programs/Scholarship_Flyer_2023-24.pdf
“The pen is mightier than the sword”
CENON DISTRICT LEVEL ESSAY CONTEST
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Each year, there is an Essay Contest which begins at the individual Club Level, with their own contests. From there, each club is eligible to submit their winning essay to be judged at the District Level. Winners of the Central Ontario District Essay Competition receive scholarships, and the winner attends the Third District Conference (May) meeting to read their winning essay to the members.
The 2023-24 Essay Competition topic is “Optimism: How It Connects Us”
Contest Details for Club Chairs
Contact Chair:
Susan Montgomery
suemontgomery@live.ca
District Oratorical Contest
The power of speech
OPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL ORATORICAL COMPETITION
Central Ontario District Finals:
Saturday May 4, 2024 – Barrie, Ontario
The topic for the 2023-2024 Oratorical Contest is, “How to Change the World with Optimism”.
Contest information and applications can be found on the Optimist International web site. District awards are:
- 1st prize $2,500.00 scholarship
- 2nd prize $1.500.00 scholarship
- 3rd prize $1,000.00 scholarship.
Scholarships are issued by the Canadian Children’s Optimist Foundation.
Students must enter the District level competition by first competing in a local Optimist Club oratorical contest. Club winners should receive medals. A limit of two speakers from each Zone in Central Ontario will be entered in the District competition.
The Central Ontario District Competition will be held in the morning Saturday May 13th. The winner continues on to the Regional Competition, and if successful to the International Competition in St. Louis, Missouri. The Central Ontario District provides financial support to the participate at these levels.
For more information about the Central Ontario District Oratorical Competition, please contact our Oratorical Chair, Marijke Coffa at
. Below there is a short video from the winner of the 2018 Optimist International Oratorical World Championship.
COMMUNICATION CONTEST FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
Contest Eligibility
The contest is open to young people through grade 12 in the United States and Canada, to CEGEP in Québec and grade 13 in the Caribbean, who are educated in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean. Students must submit the results of an audiogram completed no longer than 24 months prior to the date of the contest by a qualified audiologist. Students must be certified to have a hearing loss of 40 decibels or more, which must be supported by the audiogram in order to be eligible to compete.
District Coordinator Contact:
Planning is in the works for a Spring 2024 competition.
Topic: “How to Change the World with Optimism”
Interested students should contact Optimist Ted Simmonds, our CCDHH District Chair, at (905) 838-2994 or ted.simmonds@sympatico.ca, or their school board representative. The Optimist International Foundations fund a $2,500 scholarship for the speaking contest. .
More information can be found on the Optimist International Scholarships page.
Donate towards CCDHH Contest
Local competitions for youth who can speak, will take place with the cooperation of local school boards. The York and Durham Public School Boards take place in early April. The Toronto Public School Board competition takes place in mid April.
In order to provide the second CCDHH scholarship, many districts donate other awards. Donations for this second scholarship are greatly appreciated. Please send a cheque made out to Optimist Central Ontario District to:
c/o Michelle Stokes,
22 Lyton Cres,
Stoney Creek, ON L8J 2C9
E-Transfer to: 47cenon@gmail.com
Please specify the donation is for CCDHH.
JUNIOR GOLF
The Optimist International Junior Golf Competition begins at the Club or Zone and then the District Level.
Central Ontario Junior Golf
Each year Central Ontario holds a Junior Golf competition. There are more than 50 qualifying tournaments across North America involving 5,000 players from ages 10 to 18. Winners from this tournament will be invited to participate in the Optimist International Junior Golf Championship.
2024 District Junior Golf Tournament
FUN. AWESOME. COMPETITIVE.
CALEDON COUNTRY CLUB, INGLEWOOD, ONTARIO.
District Junior Golf Tournament Entry Form & Rules. (pdf)
Entry deadline to be announced and must be endorsed by any local Optimist Club.
Our District Junior Golf Qualifying Tournament for 2024 will be held on Saturday, June 15, 2024 at Caledon Country Club, Inglewood, Ontario.
Please schedule your local club tournament to be held prior to June 1st if you are hosting one. The cost for registration is $95.00 per golfer which includes greens fees, lunch and prizes.
The age groups are 10-11, 12-13, 14-15, and 16-18 years for boys, and 10-12, 13-14, and 15-18 for girls. The Optimist International Junior Golf Championships will be held in Florida as follows:
Boys 10-11, 12-13 and Girls 10-12 – July 16 – July 21, 2024
Boys 14-15 and Girls 13-14 – July 21 – July 26, 2024
Boys 16-18 and Girls 15-18 – July 26 – July 31, 2024
It is our objective to send two finalists from our District Tournament to Florida.
Hole Sponsorship
To meet this objective, we require your financial support. Each club that donates $200 or more to the District Tournament will receive an exclusive Hole Sponsorship at the District Tourney. The name of your club will be prominently displayed at the tees.
Cheques should be made payable to: “Dennis Kwasnicki for District Golf”.
Please mail to Dennis Kwasnicki, District Golf Chair, 12 Anne Street, Box 171, Hillsburgh, Ontario N0B 1Z0
Club Tournament Assistance
Assistance in planning a club tournament, please call or email Dennis Kwasnicki (416) 937-5927 or email to kwas@rogers.com. Registration forms for sponsored golfers can be sent by email if you prefer. Thank you for supporting the District Tournament with your registrations, and Hole Sponsorships.
Watch the video below to see how incredible the International Junior Golf Tournament is for participants from around the world.
Contact District Golf Chair
Dennis Kwasnicki
12 Anne St, Box 171, Hillsburgh, ON N0B 1Z0
519-855-6660
kwas@rogers.com
Central Ontario Leadership Seminars (COLS)
The Optimist Clubs of Central Ontario are long time supporters of this leadership training seminar for Grade 10 students. Each year we sponsor countless students to attend this incredible event which is held at the Mississauga Campus of the University of Toronto during the last weekend of May. The mission of COLS is to spread positive thinking through collaboration, communication, and teamwork. These students then return to their school and local communities to share and spread what they have learned. By sharing their lessons with other parts of our community, we will be able to grow and change our country – enabling our youth to be more active where they live. In summary, COLS focuses on developing leadership and community involvement in each ambassador through a series of interactive speakers, panels, discussions, and activities. COLS focuses on teaching how to think, not what to think and on the importance of being involved in the community.
Here are some gems from the thank you letters of COLS participants:
- “COLS helped me expand my learning and it has changed me. I think I am now a more open-minded person as well as I am not afraid to take risks!”
- “I learned a lot about being a true leader. It means staying standing when everyone else is sitting down. Or, showing up for life and not being ashamed of it. … but probably my favourite is: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
- “COLS gave me the tools I have needed all along to mold myself into the best person possible.”
- “I had the time of my life – I really do think this has been the best weekend of my life.”
Link to COLS.ca website
Contact Brian Wick with updates: bwick@brooklinsigns.com