You know the saying, ‘you don’t miss something until it is gone.’ Well I think that is what will happen if the Sicamous Lions Club has to fold.
We have been in this community for 35 years this year, helping those in need with such things as: travel expenses to and from hospital in Vancouver, and funding for the skateboard park, minor hockey, minor baseball and figure skating. We are a major contributor to fundraisers and the local food bank. We contribute to the food programs in the schools, help children with new glasses and people with hearing aids. We also collect old glasses to be sent to people in third-world countries, and old hearing aids to be refurbished.
These is just a few things that we do for Sicamous.
In our province, we support the BC Lions Society with contributions to Easter Seal House (we helped refurbish a room last year), Easter Seal Camp Winfield with campers and camp improvements, and Timmy’s Telethon and Winterfest (formally Snowarama), in conjunction with the Eagle Valley Snowmobile Club.
In our country, we support the Lions Foundation of Canada Guide Dogs, CNIB (Canadian Institute for the Blind) and CARE Canada.
Worldwide, we contribute to the Lions Club’s International Foundation for disasters, such as Katrina, Japan’s tsunami, the Salmon Arm fire in 1998 and other disasters.
We understand that some people do not want to attend meetings, of which we have two per month. That is OK, although we do welcome new ideas and maybe new ways of doing things.
Some think that the dues are too high, but they are only $60 for a single membership, or $90 for a family membership for the year. This covers our Lions International administration costs, Lions magazine, our multiple district administration costs and our own club administration cost (which is a very small portion).
In the past, we have been able to help the community with our gaming funds, but we are not assured of getting that every year. So we need to do more projects, and some of us are finding it harder to help out.
We really need new members, younger members, and members who are willing to help out to raise the funds that we need to help the community.
So, why am I writing this letter? I guess I am pleading with the community to step up to the plate, or it will be too late and we will be gone.
If you are willing and able to help us out, please call me at 250-836-4876, or Kathy at 250-836-3267.
Joan Thomson