While most people may recognize the name of the Sunrise Optimist Club, very few people know exactly what it is they do. Even fewer realize that there are actually three different optimist clubs in Wichita Falls alone. The three clubs are all affiliated with one another through Optimist International, but they have different goals and focuses.
“[The Sunrise Optimist Club meets] at 6 o’clock in the morning. That’s why its called sunrise, and some people don’t like that because they don’t want to get up that early. So it’s mainly for working people that couldn’t go to a noon meeting. And the other ones have different distinctions like that also, but we all work for the same thing and oftentimes we work together,” Sunrise Optimist Club secretary and treasurer James Price said.
Many people can hear the phrase ‘Optimist Club’ had have no idea what it entails. Perhaps it is a group of really happy people? While that may be true, the clubs don’t have anything to to with themselves. It is all for others.
“Our motto is, ‘friend of youth,’ and our whole job of what we try to do is help kids in a higher local area as much as possible,” Price said.
Price is also a sixth grade science teacher at Zundy Junior High. He works with kids every day, and continues to involve himself in this community service for the underprivileged and the extraordinary.
“This is a different type of community service than [my wife and I have] done before and we just love it,” Price said. “It’s really a lot of fun to give to others and to see the joy that it brings, to see the girls play softball.”
Price is referring both to his club’s annual Christmas party that supports kids from the Boy’s and Girl’s Club and the Sunrise Optimist Softball park complex, just across the parking lot from memorial stadium.
“We have a Christmas party each year where we bring underprivileged kids in, and we have Santa Claus there, and a magician. They all get presents, and things like that,” Price said.
The Optimist Club of Wichita Falls, which is a different club than the Sunrise Optimist’s, takes a different approach to Christmas.
“Their primary fundraiser is they sell Christmas trees,” Price said. His own club takes part in a different fundraiser, which many thrill seekers are likely to recognize.
“We just did our biggest fundraiser of the year for the 12th year in a row. We were the sponsors for the Sunrise Optimist haunted house,” Price said. “We had six different booster clubs working with us, and we brought in about $17,000. The booster club gets 75 percent of the money, we receive 25 percent.”
Of course, the money doesn’t actually end up in the hands of the Club members. It goes out to scholarships, notably the Young Texan/Tex-Anne program.
“Once a month we have students join our Young Texan/Tex-Anne program where they compete for college scholarships,” the Sunrise Optimist Club webpage states.
Applicants must be 16-18 years of age, preferably be a junior in high school, and must write out a resume of their scholastic, extracurricular, community and religious service, employment, hobbies and talents, and future plans. In short, applicants must be extremely well rounded.
“We have a contest every month, and of the winners at state last year 5 out of 24 came from our club,” Price said. “And there’s hundreds of optimist clubs in Texas. All of [our winners] received college scholarships for going through that program.”
The Red River Optimist Club sponsors two $500 scholarships to seniors committed to attending Vernon College or Midwestern State University to study either nursing or education.
The Sunrise Optimist Club has not been much affected by the economic recession. Their problems in the past few years have been of a different sort.
“We’re an aging club,” said Price. “The average age is probably 60 years old. So as we get older there’s things that we’re having to hire people to do that we used to do at the softball field.”
Despite hardships the Optimist Clubs in Wichita Falls are determined to continue serving kids.
“Our club is 52 years old,” Price said. “My wife and I have been members for five, almost six, years now. It’s a very good feeling.”

Purposes of the Optimist Cub:

“To develop optimism as a philosophy of life;
To promote an active interest in good government and civic affairs;
To inspire respect for law;
To promote patriotism and work for international accord and friendship among all people;
To aid and encourage the development of youth;
We do this in the belief that the giving of one’s self in service to others will advance our well-being, our community, and the world.”