If you find yourself seeing the glass as half full and looking for ways to help community members who are less fortunate, the Lobo Optimist Club could be the place for you.
The club is a chapter of the nationwide organization that advocates a better lifestyle through community service.
The Lobo Optimist Club was chartered in fall 2007 and has a membership of 15 people.
Christina Trujillo, vice president and co-founder of the group, said the Optimist Club focuses on helping everyone it can.
"I love getting to do all of these different things that I would not have been able to do before," she said. "It sounds crazy, but helping out at auctions and everything else are just fun things to do."
President Tullivan Begay said the group has accomplished much in the two years it's been on campus.
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"We have volunteered at different organizations all over Albuquerque, helping do silent auctions and taking care of children for an afternoon to give family members a break," he said. "It has been a really great experience so far for me."
Begay said the group targets people who want to give back to the community around them.
"We have helped raise thousands of dollars to help different children groups," he said. "Anyone and everyone can join, and if someone is looking for an opportunity to help . this group is it."
Junior Radhika Modi, treasurer for the Optimist Club, said she enjoys working with children and helping families relax.
"One of my best memories with the Lobo Optimist Club was when we worked with grandparents who raise their grandchildren," Modi said. "Not every child has a mother or a father, and to help those grandparents with a day of relaxation, we volunteered to babysit and watch their kids for them. It was all really rewarding."
Modi said students who join this group have opportunities to help others - and help themselves in the process.
"You get to help out the community, while you get real world connections by helping out all these other organizations," Modi said.
The Optimist Club meets the first Thursday of every month at 6 p.m. in the SUB, and all interested students are invited, Trujillo said.
"Everyone should come to a meeting, because it is fun to be part of a nationally known organization," she said. "Plus, if someone comes to a meeting and likes what they hear, they can help out with the monthly service project that we do - which is what we focus most on."
