FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with over 100,000 members in 3,400 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and throughout the world. One of the Primary Purposes of Optimist International is to inspire respect for the law. The Optimist International “Respect for Law” program began in 1965 with the aim of inspiring all youth to develop a respect for the law and for law enforcement. The Optimist International “Respect for Law” program is the organization’s fourth most popular international project with over 1,500 local clubs participating. The Evening Optimist Club of Sumter believes that it is important for children to grow up with a strong belief in abiding by the law, respecting law enforcement, and promoting an atmosphere of non-violence.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Joseph T. McElveen, Jr., Mayor of the City of Sumter, South Carolina, do hereby proclaim the week of May 9th through 14th, 2011 as:
“RESPECT FOR LAW WEEK”
in the
CITY OF SUMTER
and urge all citizens, government agencies, public and private institutions, and businesses in the City of Sumter to support the Evening Optimist Club in their efforts to inspire respect for the law and law enforcement among the children and youth of our community, and to aid and encourage the development of an atmosphere of non-violence.
Joseph T.McElveen, Jr., Mayor