Brighton Optimists Meet Reaching Higher Graduates

At this morning's meeting of the Brighton Optimist Club, Reaching Higher Director Sue Dahlman, and Brighton High School guidance counselor Barb Williams accompanied five of the Reaching Higher Program's recent graduates. The five students are all either sophomores or juniors this year, and each gave a brief presentation on how the Reaching Higher program has helped them personally and academically.

It was very moving to hear the stories from these young people, and to know that when we go off track in life, there is hope. Sometimes it's in our attitudes, sometimes in our circumstances. These five great students have turned themselves around, improved their grades, and are now getting more involved in activities in a positive way.

My kudos to Sue Dahlmann and Barb Williams for getting this program up and running here in Livingston County. And of course, to the Brighton Optimist Club for providing the first batch of 'seed money' to fund them. (Disclaimer:I am on the Board of Directors of the Brighton Optimist Club and am decidely biased.)

Some of these five have volunteered to be graduate assistants to the next group of Reaching Higher students at Brighton High, and my bet is that they'll be more fulfilled in that role than they were as students. Isn't it almost always the case that the more we do for others, the more meaning we find in our lives, and in life in general? I think it is.

If you want to learn more about this program, or help fund it, please see their web site at:
http://www.reachinghigherinc.org/.

If you have interest in the Brighton Optimist Club, see their web site at http://www.brightonoptimist.org/. We have an ambitious schedule of events for the year and can always use more service-minded individuals to help.

And congratulations again to the recent graduates of Reaching Higher!

Brighton Optimists Help Sponsor Students

Last fall, the Brighton Optimist Club heard a guest speaker, Sue Dahlmann, talk about a program called 'Reaching Higher'. She had been conducting this program in other SE MIchigan schools and wanted to start it in her home community.

The Optimists were so impressed, that they allocated money to sponsor two students, the first community group to do so. The Reaching Higher program provides tools for building a student's confidence level, overcoming limiting beliefs and moving toward their goals.

A February 3, 2010, article in the Livingston County Press and Daily Argus featured this program and mentioned the role of the Brighton Optimists, and other community groups.

The Brighton Optimist Club is proud to have been a part in the inaugural year of this program for local youth, and we hope it is an important part of the community for many years to come.

You can see the full article here, at http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20102030302, and you can see the Reaching Higher web site at http://www.reachinghigherinc.com/index.php