(Greensburg, IN) – Three winners of the Greensburg Optimist Club’s Oratorical Contest were chosen this week from a field of seven students who wrote four- to five-minute speeches on the topic “The Moment I Realized I Belonged – My Definition of Community.”
Mackenzie Lohrum was awarded 1st place; Sydney Fry received 2nd place, and Chloe Dick came in 3rd place.
The first and second place winners will compete in the North Zone Semi-Finals held at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis on Sunday, March 8.
Both students will compete against winners from other Optimist Clubs in the area.
The zone competition winner will be sent to the District level with the chance to win a scholarship, and then possibly to the Optimist International Regional/World Championship for a chance to win an additional $5,000, or a $15,000 scholarship.
“The Oratorical Contest isn’t just about public speaking — it’s about helping young people find their voice and gain confidence,” said Greensburg Optimist Club President Taylor Gramman. “They didn’t just present speeches — they shared pieces of their stories, and that takes courage.”
The Greensburg Breakfast Optimist Club has participated in the Optimist Oratorical Contest for many years, and has played an active role in the community since it started in 1971.
Community members are welcome to join the club, which meets every Thursday at 6:30 am at the Greensburg Community Bread of Life Soup.
Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with over 80,000 adult and youth members in almost 3,000 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and throughout the world.
The Optimist Oratorical Contest is one of the organization’s most popular programs, with more than 2,000 clubs participating annually.
Going by the motto “Bringing Out the Best in Youth, in our Communities, and in Ourselves,” Optimists conduct positive service projects that reach more than six million young people each year.
To learn more about Optimist International, visit www.optimist.org.
