To that end, I am pleased to inform you that I have been accepted as a student in the business program at Rotman Commerce, the undergraduate section Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

I also take this opportunity to thank Optimist International, Optimist Canada and Optimist club of Waterloo region for their strong support in various programs and in enabling students like myself to develop their oratorical, essay writing and other skills at an early age.

Nina, Oratorical winner

Thank you for your donation of $1,500 towards a scholarship for Douglas College student. Your generous gift will provide financial support, as well as motivation, to a hard-working student.

Thank you for your belief in the importance of post-secondary education, and for making a difference in the lives of our students.

Tracy Green, Coordinator at Douglas College

Dear Optimist International,

Is has been almost a year since I had the privilege of competing in an oratorical contest that changed my life. There isn’t enough space on this page for me to fully express my gratitude towards everyone who makes up Optimist International. Thank you for calling forth greatness in people, and for generously rewarding those that have been given the opportunity to shine through your many programs. The difference you’ve made in this world is immeasurable when I multiply my experience on the scale that Optimist has been active. Your diligence in keeping to the Optimist Creed has paid off greatly. Your creed is full of Biblical principles that I want for my own life, and hope for others to desire. Each of its mandates encourage selflessness; something I believe the world can never have enough of.

I want to thank you for the selflessness you showed by being just as enthusiastic about my success as you are of your own. The scholarship I received from you is evidence of this. You took the time to hear how my passions impact the world, and now I’m one step closer to following those passions. The $2,500 scholarship is helping me get there. At the end of August I will be moving to Vancouver to pursue my passion of acting and storytelling at School Creative – Institute of the Arts. There’s nothing I love more than a good story, and I’ll be studying the art of storytelling so that I can share my passions with anyone willing to listen. You are a part of my personal story, and I know you are a part of so many others as well. Your encouragement and support has meant the world to us.

Please keep doing what you are doing, because unexpected things happen when you give people opportunities to show what they can do. They exceed expectations and invite others to do the same. People often rise to what others believe of them, and you have consistently thought so highly of others that it’s no wonder they’ve soared. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I spread my wings in new and unknown territory, trusting my passions to be a guide to what’s worth pursuing. I don’t know exactly how things will turn out for me or where life will take me, but I trust that God didn’t create me with talents and passions by accident. Thank you again for encouraging those talents and passions and putting in all the work that you do to see others succeed. Your optimism is such a blessing.

With Love, Chantal Morin