Optimist Club of St. Paul celebrates centennial anniversary

Has a long history of helping youth facing hardships

By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | January 2025

For more than half of the storied history of Minnesota’s capital city, the Optimist Club of St. Paul has been a beacon of light for people facing challenges big and small. In early December, it celebrated its centennial anniversary, sharing past accomplishments and eagerly looking ahead at ways to keep achieving its mission.

One of the club’s primary goals is to support youth in the community through sponsorships, scholarships and more. Speaking at the club’s anniversary gala was Na Eng, who was one of the first recipients of the club’s college scholarships at Johnson High School on St. Paul’s East Side years ago. Her story exemplifies the club’s mission to support youth in need.

Eng immigrated to Minnesota at age 5 with her mother and six siblings, as refugees escaping the Khmer Rouge and forced-labor camps in Cambodia. After receiving the Club’s scholarship, she went on to study filmmaking at Columbia University in New York, earning the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans to fund her graduate studies. She has worked as a journalist and TV news producer for NBC, PBS and CNBC, winning many awards including an Edward R. Murrow Award, a Fulbright Fellowship and an Emmy Award. Currently she is the Chief Communications Officer for People for the American Way, a progressive advocacy organization founded to defend freedom, justice and democracy.

In a recent interview, she reflected on how recognition from the Club helped steer her to success despite the chips being stacked against her.

“I was delighted and absolutely grateful for the dollar amount because my family definitely needed assistance to afford college, but more so than that, I was really heartened by the strong show of support from the community,” she said. “It helped to build my confidence. I just really appreciated the goodwill in which people who didn’t know me wanted to support the next generation.”

As a refugee, she said she’s always felt a responsibility to pay forward the support that she found in the United States and do whatever she can to “play a small role in trying to make the world a better place.”

Eng has also held leadership positions for philanthropic and humanitarian organizations including ARC (now Alight), Mercy Corps and the McKnight Foundation, and serves on the board of directors for the NAACP Foundation. Earlier this year, she was the first Asian-American inducted into the Johnson High School Hall of Fame.

“I think in our society it’s tempting to tell a story about a hero and how great that individual is, but the message I really want to share is that it takes a village to raise a child,” she said. “It takes a whole community to ensure the success of our children and allow them to thrive and pursue their aspirations and be their best selves. I just feel so blessed to have received that gift and I hope to be able to extend that to the next generation as well.”

Whether as an adolescent or adult, Eng said she’s been fueled to work hard and stay optimistic through life’s challenges by keeping a spirit of gratitude, focusing on what she has control over and connecting with other people, including her son and other family members. A former volunteer for the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library board of directors, she also loves getting lost in a good book every now and then.

Since 1924, the Optimist Club of St. Paul has contributed to countless stories similar to Eng’s. It has provided more than $650,000 in scholarships to high school seniors who have overcome significant obstacles in their young lives, honored and rewarded dozens of students in its annual essay and oratory contests and contests for the deaf and hard of hearing, served hundreds of meals for families at Jeremiah Program in St. Paul, donated essential items to at-risk youth at Safe Zone in St. Paul and more. Most recently, it helped raise funds for Neighborhood House, an organization on the West Side that helps refugees, immigrants and others meet basic needs, from food to housing and family coaching to education programming.

“From the beginning in 1924 to today, our members have never lost focus of the Club’s mission to bring out the best in our St. Paul youth, our community and ourselves,” said Karl Olson, a member of the Optimist Club of St. Paul since 1976, in a press release. “Every year, we find numerous ways to support the youth of our community and provide them with opportunities to advance.”

The 65-member Optimist Club meets at Joseph’s Grill on the West Side twice a month. Its mission is “To promote an active interest in good government and civic affairs; To inspire respect for the law; To promote patriotism and work for international accord and friendship among all people; To aid and encourage the development of youth, in the belief that the giving of one’s self in service to others will advance the well-being of humankind, community life and the world.”

“They [the Club] need to be thanked and recognized and applauded,” said Eng. “Sometimes when you write a check, you don’t really know who it goes to or what becomes of that investment. I have a philosophy that helping those in need is always a good investment. You may not always know exactly what ends up becoming of the person you supported but it is an act of kindness and affirmation that can be really transformative.”

To get involved, visit stpauloptimists.org.

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