LILLIAN, Ala. -- Members of the Optimist Club of Perdido Bay recently met two of the three winners of the Essay Contest sponsored by Optimist International.

Winners are Rachel Kibler, first place; Alex Odee, second place and Rebeccah Stevens, third place. All are students at Elberta Elementary School.

This year’s theme was “How My Positive Outlook Benefits My Community”. Teachers Jennifer Giles-Wilkins and Leah Tucker worked with OCPB Chairman Bill Suttle to get the students ready for the competition.

Judges Ruth Ginn, Jan Sanders and Ann Suttle chose from 15 entries to pick the top three. The essays are numbered, so the participants are not known to the judges. Chairman Suttle said the points given to the final three were very close.

The Optimist Club of Perdido Bay enthusiastically adopts the OI motto “Bringing Out the Best in Kids.” They recently fed 450 at the Special Olympics held in Fairhope. They will also host the OI Oratorical contest and provide scholarships for three local graduating seniors.

The Annual Mullet Festival on Labor Day is the major fundraiser for the various projects of the club.