Coquitlam Optimist Club is offering $175 in prizes and an opportunity to win scholarships with values up to $2,500 in Optimist International's 2012 Oratorical Contest.
The Oratorical Contest is open to students under 18 years of age as of Dec. 31, 2011, who have not graduated from secondary school. Contestants must give a four- to five-minute speech on the topic "How my Optimism Helps me Overcome Obstacles."
Coquitlam Optimist Club will award cash prizes of $100 for first place, $50 for second place and $25 for third place to local students.
As well, the first- and second-place winners will have the chance to advance through zone and regional oratorical contests. Regional winners will compete at the Pacific Northwest District contest with the opportunity to win college scholarships worth a $2,500 for first place, $1,500 for second place or $1,000 for third place.
Coquitlam Optimist Club's Oratorical Contest will be held April 18 at 7 p.m. (location to be announced). To enter, students must fill out an application form and submit it to the club by April 4. To receive the application form along with detailed contest rules and information on the contest location, call Peter Smith at 604-469-1514 or email [email protected].
The Coquitlam club has been has been active in the community since 1977 and has participated in the Optimist Oratorical Contest most years since then. Other programs and service projects in which the club is involved in include Optimist Junior Curling, Walk for Youth and Opti-Bears (Teddies for children in traumatic situations).
To learn more about Optimist International, visit www.optimist.org.
