About the Michigan District of Optimist International

Hey Team Michigan–Let’s “Bee The Difference”!

Greetings Fellow Michigan District Optimists,

Let me begin by saying what an honor it is to be the Governor of the largest district in Optimist International and to serve all of you wonderful Optimists.

As we begin the 1st Quarter of the new Optimist Year, our Detroit Tigers baseball team find themselves in the midst of the American League playoffs. If you follow baseball you know what an up and down season this has been for the Tigers. But now they find themselves capable of winning it all. Similarly, our Michigan District has certainly experienced some ups and downs over the past many years but now we also find ourselves poised to win it all if we work together as a team.

So, my question to you is this,  are you ready to “Bee the Difference” so that we score the big win for  kids, communities and ourselves in the Michigan District during 2025-2026?  “Bee the Difference” is our  Michigan District theme for this year.  These three simple words define how we as members of Optimist International view and interpret the world around us. As Optimists, we must take it upon ourselves to provide solutions to problems that challenge our kids, our communities and ourselves. I firmly believe that all of us can “Bee the Difference” in the upcoming year and score that big win.

Growing our clubs is certainly one of the largest challenges we continue to face. To encourage and reward club growth the Michigan District will provide a $50 rebate to our clubs for every new member they recruit this coming year. I intend to have our Lieutenant and Assistant Governors work closely with our Membership Engagement committee to help ensure that our clubs grow. Currently, thirty percent of our clubs in the Michigan District have 15 or fewer members. Our clubs are pillars for our communities and the kids that reside in those communities. We need to make sure that these clubs are receiving our constant attention so that they succeed and remain a vital part of our communities. We cannot afford to leave any club behind.

In addition, we need to explore building new clubs in communities that we are currently not serving well. Do you know of any community in our district that couldn’t use another helping hand?  I don’t think so. Let’s identify those communities that could really benefit from having an Optimist Club nearby. However, when we do build a club it is important that we ensure that the new club will thrive.  So, our Michigan District will donate $500 to every new club we build this year.

As the year progresses you will hear more from myself and our committee chairs about the goals we have set for this year. In addition to our excellent Michigan District website and OptiViews magazine, attending our quarterly district gatherings is certainly another way to stay informed. To that end, I look forward to seeing you at our 1st Quarter Gathering at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Auburn Hills on November 8. Other locations for our quarterly gatherings this year will include East Lansing and Interlochen, Michigan.

So let’s knock it out of the park this year and “Bee The Difference”.

Dave Putt
Michigan District Governor

Greetings from President Tom:

Optimist International is an incredible organization! We are on a mission to provide hope and positive vision to children and communities around the world! Our members strive to be a force of positive change in the lives of all youth and their communities! Optimist leaders and members have big hearts and a passion for the work that we do. Optimist International has clubs and members in 26 nations around the world. Our clubs and members have a willingness to welcome people of all backgrounds and all ages. Optimist International has endured in our mission of spreading optimism as a philosophy of life and service to children for over 106 years.

I want to thank you for stepping forward and joining our wonderful organization and committing yourselves to bringing out the best in the lives of the children within your community, as well as making your community a better place to live, and bringing out the best in yourselves. On behalf of the children and communities served by your club, I want to say to you that you are appreciated!

This is an important time of transformation for Optimist International. We stand at a crossroads as we prepare our beloved organization for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. In the 2025-2026 Optimist year, Optimist International must examine the past, the present, and the future, if the organization is going to continue its vision to be recognized worldwide as the premier volunteer organization that values all children and helps them develop to their full potential.

We must admit our membership is declining every year, our new club building has slowed down to a trickle, our finances are shrinking, and our current Region/District/Zone/Club structure is no longer meeting the needs of our organization. Unfortunately, this is the only System we have and this is a complicated issue, which won’t have a quick or easy solution. This isn’t just at the district level but all levels of the organization.

How Clubs/Zones/Districts/ Regions operate is also going to need to change, sooner rather than later. Finally, our membership is aging out, and dying off, which adds to the decline. Yet, our Optimist Clubs continue to do amazing work, through incredible programs, to bring out the best of the youth in their communities. Many of those communities would be devastated without our awesome Optimist Clubs.

Therefore, we must support our Optimist Clubs by finding a way to save Optimist International by pressing on to the greater achievements of the future. We can do so, and we will do so, by treasuring and honoring our successes of the past, by working hard in the present, and by progressing to the future using evolutionary change. Optimist International must evolve into an organization which fosters collaboration and teamwork amongst all of its members; younger, older, male, female, every race, ethnicity, religion, inclusive of everyone, in every Region/District/Zone/Club everywhere.

We don’t need a revolution–eliminating all Regions/Districts/Zones/Clubs and alienating most of our membership. We’re going to need to decide if those clubs that are struggling will bring the return on investment, that it would take to save those clubs, versus building new clubs. However, supporting the club model for as long as it’s still sustainable is where evolutionary change begins. While we seek to evolve into other forms of clubs and other forms of memberships in Optimist International.

Together, as an incredible team of like-minded individuals, using our positive mental attitudes, we will revitalize Optimist International. We need leaders to shepherd this evolution and motivate this change; and I am willing to be one of the enthusiastic, collaborative, passionate, and bridge-building leaders as the President of Optimist international. Will you join me by leading in your Club, your Zone, your District, and your Region? We need your help!  I am willing to Be the Change we need and I am asking you to Be the Change!

The challenge and opportunity facing us are people, young and old, who are looking for something positive in their lives, a purpose, a haven, a place of comfort where they can experience a more meaningful life. And do you know what? You and I have the key to all of this–the gift of optimism.

Today, we have the same opportunity to promote the mission of Optimist International to our communities and advance the benefits of being an Optimist: Service to Youth, Friendships, Personal Fulfillment, Enhanced Wellbeing, and Inspiring Others. And add the fact science has proven optimists are healthier, happier, more successful, live longer, and bounce back faster from personal setbacks. Who wouldn’t want to be an Optimist?

So, my challenge to you is to share your gift of Optimism with everyone around you. Give the people you care about the opportunity to experience the wonderful feeling and benefits you experience as an Optimist every single day. Let’s strive to inspire those people we love and care about to choose optimism.

CHOOSE OPTIMISM – BE THE CHANGE

Tom Kendo
Optimist International President
2025-2026