When it’s rainy, most carry umbrellas so that they can walk in and bear the weather. Optimism is the umbrella for the dreary situations that can be faced in life; an optimistic outlook can change the narrative and put a positive spin on things. The perfect place to find these attitudes is within the Junior Optimist Club (JOI)  at Milford High School. This club started two years ago at the beginning of January 2018. The members conduct service projects aiming to provide a helping hand to the youth of the community. This club has no requirements for admission, but being an active member does earn an extra chord at graduation and an amazing lesson in the joy of others. The officers of this club consist of President Jillian Weisburg, Vice President Makayla Porter, Secretary Keilani Hess, and Treasurer Sean McCormick.

 The sponsor of the JOI club since the beginning has been Heather Lutz, a math teacher at MHS. “Through the years, I have met a number of adult Huron Valley Optimist Club members and have been impressed with their drive to help others. When the opportunity arose to start the club at Milford High School, I jumped at the chance! Being the club sponsor, I have continued to be impressed by the dedication our students have to helping others in the local community,” said Lutz. 

This club participates in various events that aim to spread positivity around the community, such as Special Olympics, Milford Christmas parade, elementary school book fairs, and Huron Valley Easter egg hunt. Lutz hopes students will find joy in doing good for others. “Attending events where Junior Optimist members volunteer always puts a smile on my face,” she said. “This club impacts our members in so many positive ways, said Lutz, The value of giving to others and making volunteering a priority is a trait that our members take with them into the future.”

 The president of the JOI club, Jillian Weiserg, has been with the club since the beginning.“I like to be involved at school, so when I saw the JOI club posters in the hallway during my sophomore year, I knew it was a club I had to join,”  said Weisburg. “I love volunteering and helping others. I knew I could make an impact on the community as a sophomore. This club made me appreciate our community and helped me make bonds with other classmates.”

Her position’s responsibilities include coordinating with other clubs and MHS members to organize volunteer activities. Gratification from purely bettering someone’s life in a small way can be more than enough motivation for many to volunteer the time. “I enjoy making a difference in others’ lives. Most of the volunteering I have done is with the kids in the school district, said Weisburg, Whether it is just making them smile or teaching them something new, I always know that everytime I volunteer I am doing something that is worthwhile.” All members of this club have an innate ability to look at things with a bright perspective. 

The vice president of the JOI club is Mikayla Porter. “One thing that the JOI club has helped me learn is that helping with the community makes it much easier to clearly see that the community is much bigger than most realize, and helping others is extremely rewarding,” said Porter. 

The JOI club as a whole revolves around the idea that helping others and volunteering time for the greater good with a positive mindset is a small step to making a bigger difference. One change for the better done by enough people can start a chain reaction of a better world and community.