The Arcola Optimist Club presented $19,860 to seven area organizations at their annual Snowmobile Rally Banquet, Wednesday, March 11 at The Optimist Legion Hall in Arcola.
“We enjoy this as a night out for our club,” says Optimist Club president, Blake Brownridge. “And we try to make it a good night for all of the groups that help us out with our snowmobile rally.”
“We have a great relationship with all of the other clubs or community organizations that either help us put on the snowmobile rally or benefit from it as a fundraiser or both,” adds Brownridge.
“It's a great rally,” says Optimist Club secretary-treasurer, Glen Lawson.
“Our rally sponsorship was high; we sold out our lotto tickets, and we made a really good profit, even with only 243 riders. Because of the mild weather and snow conditions this year, that's only about half the number of riders we usually have at the rally, so under the circumstances, we did very well this year.”
“The rally is not only a major fundraiser for the Optimist Club, it's also a major fundraiser for almost all of the organizations we support,” adds Lawson.
After a roast beef dinner-catered by Linda Chapman and Eileen Corrigan-seven community organizations were presented with contributions totalling nearly $20,000 by Optimist Snowmobile Rally chair, Randy James.
“The snowmobile rally is our main community fundraiser,” says Brownridge. “And we've already got the date for next year's event, which will be held on January 30, 2016.”
“We'll be hoping for more snow, but the rally will go ahead, anyway. We hope everyone comes out to enjoy a great event that supports organizations in our area.”
To learn more, or to become a member of the Arcola Optimist Club, contact a member of the club or visit their website at www.arcolaoptimist.com.
