The Lexington Park-Saint Maries Optimist Club sponsors many local community organizations and activities, which include but are not limited to those listed on this page.
Respect For Law
Every year the Optimist clubs of St. Mary’s County hold a dinner and present the nominees for each of the Law Enforcement Agencies with an award plaque.
Boy Scout Troop 793
Boy Scout Troop 793 meets every Sunday at the Church of the Nazarene, starting at 5:00pm. The scoutmaster is Chris Betz. Troop 793 now has 49 scouts. They are chartered by the Lexington Park-Saint Maries Optimist Club.
Cub Pack 793
Cub Scout Pack 793 meets the last Friday of each month at the Lexington Park Methodist Church, 6:30-8:00 pm. The Cubmaster is Bob Morris and the Tiger Den Leader is Christy Edwards. The pack has grown with 33 Cub Scouts and 15 adults. All den meetings are held weekly.
Venturing Crew
This is a Coed Troop for ages 14-20, chartered by Lexington Park-Saint Maries Optimist Club, currently with 6 members (3 boys/3 girls). Youth are in charge and set the agenda; adults just provide support.
Scouts BSA Troop 1793
In 2019, the Boy Scout Association introduced the first all-girl member boy scout troop. Troop 1793 was chartered on February 1, 2019 by Lexington Park-Saint Maries Optimist Club. This troop has 10 members who are trailblazers in this new addition to BSA. They meet at the Church of the Nazarene on Tuesdays.
HOBY Leadership Program
Founded in 1958, HOBY’s mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation. HOBY programs are conducted annually throughout the United States, serving local and international high school students.
HOBY (Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership) programs provide youth selected by their schools to participate in unique leadership training, service-learning and motivation-building experiences. HOBY also provides adults with opportunities to make a significant impact on the lives of youth by volunteering. Over 4,000 committed HOBY volunteers plan and execute the programs each year, serving both at the local HOBY affiliate level and on HOBY’s Board of Trustees. Due to the selfless efforts of volunteers and the contributions of generous donors, nearly 9,000 students participate in HOBY programs annually.
Our club sponsors a minimum of 2 youth from our local area to attend HOBY each year.
Christmas In April
We work with Christmas In April annually. Our club is partnered with another organization to work on a selected house. We work closely with the house captain to help with any preparation work that can be done ahead of time in order to ensure that all scheduled projects can be completed during the Christmas in April day. If the projects are not completed on that day, people from our club continue to go to the house the remainder of that weekend or even future visits until the projects are completed. We have been involved with projects from a wide variety that range from yard cleanup, back stairs, front door, porches, painting, replacing floors, fixing windows, replacing siding as well as performing roof work.
H2o4Heros
Twice a year our club makes donations of water and Gatorade to our local first responders. We truly appreciate all they do for our community and this is one tangible way we can show that appreciation.
Southern Maryland Vacations For Vets Program
Southern Maryland Vacations for Vets is a program created to give our wounded or sick service members, from local military hospitals and treatment centers, a chance to relax with their family in a quiet country setting. It is a chance for them to escape the hospital routine and/or forget about their traumatic experiences. The weekend retreat is completely free of charge for the guests. We have given donations and plan to volunteer on the future events in our area in various capacities.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Sleep in Heavenly Peace is an American nonprofit 501 organization that builds and delivers beds to children who don’t have beds to sleep in. Luke and Heidi Mickelson founded SHP in 2012 in Twin Falls, Idaho. As of November 2019, the organization has 200 chapters around the United States and has built over 35,000 beds. Our club provides support to the local group by building beds and installing the beds in homes of children selected to participate in the program.
Financial Donations
We give donations to multiple youth organizations, such as the ones listed below:
- Parks and Recreation Programs
- Youth Football
- Youth Baseball
- Starbase Atlantis
- Respect for Law
- Holiday Food Baskets and Food Banks
All donations go towards the groups that we sponsor and are always welcome. Please contact us at info@lpsmoptimist.org.
