‘Souper’ Bowl to raise
funds for local youngsters

The Sunrise Optimist Club will be holding its sixth annual "Souper Bowl" from 3-6 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1, at the Olde Silver Tavern, Man­alapan. Club members will be selling quarts of homemade soup and chili to raise funds for youth activities in the community. The various types of chili are usually the best-selling items, and sell out quickly.

The Sunrise Optimist Club, with more than 100 local business people as mem­bers, is a branch of Optimist Interna­tional. The Sunrise Club raises funds each year that are used to benefit local children. They’ve purchased coats for im­poverished schoolchildren, provided com­puters to an after-school center for immi­grant youths, conducted essay and orator­ical contests, held basketball tourna­ments and awarded scholarships. This past year they started an after-school club for Hispanic children in Freehold. This year, the Sunrise Optimist Club is establishing a free sleep-away camp in New Jersey for children with cancer.

The Sunrise Optimist Club meets from 7-8 a.m. each Friday at the Golden Bell Diner, Freehold Township. Anyone inter­ested in joining or observing a meeting is welcome. There are no attendance or par­ticipation requirements, and members come to meetings and participate in activ­ities whenever they can.