The Optimist Club of Clarendon County opened a booth at the Bonanza Flea Market located on Bonanza Crossing Road just north of Highway 260. Bonanza Flea Market owners Buddy Justice and Moira Kammerer made room for the organization.
“We put items in there that have been donated to us,” said Brittany Tindel of the Optimist Club. Whether they are leftover yard sale items or have gathered items during spring cleaning, the Optimist Club will take them. According to Tindel, they currently have items ranging from clothing to golf clubs.
Members of the club go to the outlet and clean and dust and if something is broken, we will throw it away. We switch things out. September 15, they’ll have a yard sale with items that have been there too long.
All proceeds go into the Optimist Club fundraising account. These funds are spent to support children, even if it’s an event such as a house fire where a family has lost everything. However, this year, the Optimist Club sent several lesser-advantaged children to Camp Woody. This camp is held at the South Carolina Waterfowl Association in Rimini. The children are taken hunting and fishing and are exposed to outdoor life and outdoor activities.
The Optimist Club’s motto is “Friends of Youth.” The club, whose one-year anniversary in Clarendon County was in May, tries to provide mentorship and opportunities for children and youth in the area.
With 20-25 active members, the club volunteers in various events. They set up a table at Birdfest, the Bluegrass festival in Clarendon County. The booth contained games and activities for the children, so parents could enjoy the festival. As children played, the parents were told about the Optimist club.
The club meets at Fayz at the Lake on the second Thursday each month. Those interested in joining are welcome to attend to see what the club is all about.
“It’s really not an extremely time-consuming club,” said Tindel. “We go to the meetings, and we have fun. We eat together, and we plan our next fundraiser. With the Bonanza Outlet, that’s raised so much money, we really don’t do much other than collect donations.”
To visit the outlet, visit Bonanza Flea Market 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 12-5 p.m. on Sunday.
