Barnegat Optimists to Serve Up Pancakes, Seek Support

The Barnegat Bay Optimist Club and the Junior Optimist Club of Barnegat High School are holding a joint pancake breakfast fundraiser at the Manahawkin Applebee's, 207 Route 72 E., from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, and are inviting residents to come enjoy a meal and support their efforts to help kids.

Both clubs are local chapters of Optimists International, which calls on its members to offer helping hands to local youth through positive programs of all kinds. 

"Everything’s about helping kids, developing a great or different outlook on life and keeping a positive outlook," said Barnegat Bay Optimist Club member Jerry Thompson. His group of volunteers sponsors essay and public speaking contests, awards scholarships and gives away bicycles to kids whose families are struggling. 

They also join other Optimist Clubs around the state in supporting Camp Quality, a day camp in northern New Jersey for kids with cancer and their families. 

The junior branch of the club is just as active, Thompson said, and the breakfast is primarily their project. They'll play the part of waitstaff Saturday morning, running back and forth between kitchen and tables.

Brittany Elasser, the club's vice president, said she and her fellow Bengals optimists meet daily in homeroom, and run a number of fundraisers throughout the year and use the proceeds to support local charities. The interest in helping others is kind of a way of life for club members, Elasser said.

"Even if I wasn't in the club, I'd still be an optimist," she said, "but being in a club that puts people of the same mind together, it's amazing to see what we can actually accomplish in the school and in the community."

Help their efforts by showing up to breakfast at Applebees Saturday. Tickets are available at the door and are $8 for adults and $5 for kids under 12.