Longtime Optimist member enjoys work with kids

Ron Lackey has spent a large portion of his adult life devoted to children's happiness.

Currently one of 10 international vice presidents for Optimist International, Lackey has been involved in the organization for more than 25 years.

"I first got involved in 1982," he said. "I had kids of age to go through the program. They did basketball, baseball and cheerleading while in the club. Then they aged out of it."

Lackey didn't. He stayed involved in the Optimist club, which is the fourth largest civic club in the United States, with more than 3,000 clubs that do 65,000 projects a year. It is the largest civic club devoted to children.

In addition to sports, children also participate in essay contests, oratorical contests and other events, Lackey said. A Charlotte club is piloting a dropout prevention program this year. Optimist International also contributes to cancer research, promotes children buckling up their seatbelts, encourages and promotes Internet safety and several other activities.

"Optimists embrace youth services programs," Lackey said. "Anything that a club wants to do that's something for kids, we embrace."

After Lackey's children aged-out of the Optimist Club Lackey's a member of, he started to join other committees and climb to higher ranks in the club. Lackey became the club vice president, then president of the club three times. He moved on to the district level, becoming the lieutenant governor for the district and serving on several committees before becoming governor of the district for Optimist Club.

"Everything west of Fayetteville is the North Carolina west district, which is what I was serving," Lackey said.

He did such a good job, he was deemed outstanding governor for the west district.

After that term was up, Lackey moved on to a higher position — international vice president for Optimist International.

As one of the international vice presidents, Lackey oversees Tennessee, Kentucky, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Virginia and western North Carolina.

"My job's all about growth," Lackey said. "I stimulate the growth in the district. If your numbers are there, the kids are being served. With economic conditions what they are, a lot of programs are being cut. The Optimist clubs are picking up the slack."

He also visits other Optimist clubs as a representative, files reports if there are any problems, works with the senior director of new club building and forms new relationships with agencies that could be beneficial for the organization.

Lackey does all of this as a volunteer, fitting it in between his full-time job. He traveled about 13 weekends this past year, going to different Optimist meetings and checking on things.

"My employer, Bernhardt, has been very understanding about me being gone," he said. "They're community-minded."

Lackey's term as an international vice president will be completed Sept. 30. After that, he will be on the new club building committee, which is based in St. Louis, Mo. This committee is still on the international level, and Lackey will still be expected to travel some, including four meetings in St. Louis. However, he said it is much less than what he had to do this past year.

"I'm looking forward to spending time with my home club, the Gamewell Club," Lackey said. "We meet once a week. My most important job as a member of Optimist is still being a member of my home club."

He said his favorite part of Optimist club is the youth baseball his club helps with, as well as the oratorical contests they sponsor. Students who participate in the oratorical contests can work their way through the local club level, and, if their speech is good enough, win at the district and regional levels.

The top boy and girl each will win a $1,500 scholarship for college.

Lackey said he's stayed with the Optimist club for so many years because of what the club offers children.

"It's the realization of the fact that not every kid comes from a loving home," he said. "There's kids from broken homes, or some who have suffered abuse. The programs we put on are the high point in their life at that time. Not every kid has it as good as mine did.

"I've been fortunate," Lackey said. "I had a good career with Optimist. I've met a lot of people and gone a lot of places."