He will oversee Optimist International efforts from San Miguel to Santa Monica for 2024-25 term
PASO ROBLES — Longtime Paso Roblan and Optimist Club of Paso Robles member Chuck Sawyer has been electedto serve as district governor for the Pacific Southwest District of Optimist International for the 2024-25 Optimist year. Though his initial term already began earlier this year, the new Optimist calendar year begins Oct. 1, and runs through Sept. 30, 2025.
“I have the honor and privilege of being elected District Governor for the 2024-25 Optimist years by the members of my Pacific Southwest District of Optimist International, which basically runs from nearby San Miguel, down to Santa Monica and eastward to Visalia, Bakersfield and the Antelope Valley,” Sawyer said. “I have been a member of this great organization for over 17 years, and the benefit it gives me and my community has far outweighed anything I could have imagined. I have volunteered for a number of groups that support youth in my lifetime, but my involvement with Optimist International gives me the personal satisfaction that thoroughly enhances my own life of service. Quite frankly, I love being a part of it, and the organization is exceptional.”
Optimist International is the oldest service organization in the United States, and has clubs scattered all over the world,and in many different countries and provinces. The organization’s primary goal is to serve the youth of the communities in which they live, to help youth meet their full potential, and to improve their lives in the hope that they become better people who will advance the well-being of humankind, community life, and the world.
Sawyer, who has been a resident of Paso Robles for over 36 years, has served many local youth organizations by being a Little League coach and umpire, a JV girls soccer coach for Paso Robles High School, an AYSO coach and referee, as well as being a ring man for the California Mid-State Fair Swine Show and Livestock Auction. He was also selected by the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce as Roblan of the Month for May 2009, was given the PRHS Honorary Chapter FFA Degree in 2012, and received the California Mid-State Fair Heritage Foundation Ranch Hand award in 2023. A recent retiree from the California Department of State Hospitals, Atascadero, Sawyer enjoys his free time fishing, golfing, and hunting.
“Our local clubs are involved in many different events and activities that support youth in the local area,” Sawyer said.“If you are interested in being a part of our team, which requires very little time or financial investment, then please contact one of our local clubs to get more information, or join a meeting to see what we do locally and how much fun we have doing it. From high school scholarships, to free fishing derbies for kids, to organizing fundraising opportunities such as our upcoming 2nd Annual Optimist Festival of Trees on Nov. 23, we have something for everyone.”
For more information on how to find a club, join a club, or to start a new club, contact Sawyer at (805) 591-9590, Linda Stermer at (805) 238-2410, Peggy Hoobery at (805) 264-4087, or Jerry Tanimoto at (805) 423-3364. Or go to the Optimist International website at Optimist.org.
Sawyer added, “Service organizations around the country — Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions, and of course Optimist International — are all in serious need of finding new members who wish to serve their communities in the best way they can. We are constantly searching for ways to attract new members and keep our organizations thriving, now and in the future. We need new members to serve our community and make it the best that it can be. Join an Optimist Club today and be a part of something special, not only to enhance your own life, but the lives of our youth, who need us more than ever.”
