Submitted by Nelson Lions Club
Visitors to Lions Park will notice the gazebo has a new roof — and another 40 years of life! Funded and co-ordinated by the Nelson Lions Club, with assistance from Home Hardware, Edge Roofing, and the City of Nelson, this is the first of several upgrades planned for the park, the club’s major fundraising focus for the coming year.
A few years ago, the Nelson Lions Club — chartered in 1945 — was down to only eight members. Today, thanks to renewed energy and interest, the club has tripled in size and continues to grow and serve.
“Together We Serve” is the tag line of Lions Clubs International. With 1.4 million members and 48,000 clubs in 200 countries, the Lions are “united in a global mission of service — to our communities, to humanity and to our planet.” The Nelson Lions are just one of the incredible local service clubs, each helping in its own way during this difficult time.
Service clubs gained popularity during the First World War, when communities were volunteering skills and support to help themselves “build back better” (to coin a phrase). If the history of service clubs has shown anything, it’s that when things get tough, they get busy.
And busy they are! Club members, women and men aged 30 to 95 spent last weekend cutting and splitting a truckload of wood. Donated once again by Kalesnikoff Lumber, the decades old tradition of selling “last-minute” firewood is one of the club’s annual fundraisers, enabling the volunteer members to provide student scholarships, donations to food banks, upgrades to Lions Park and Lions Point, and more. For some members, it’s a chance to use chainsaws and log splitters.
COVID-19 has reminded us that we are all connected. Others are affected by how we choose to spend our time and money. That is what makes us a community. The Lions remind us that we are all neighbours, and we all have something to give. A way to serve. Nelson simply wouldn’t be Nelson if not for the volunteers, businesses, societies, and service clubs who work together to make us such an exceptional community.
The Nelson Lions Club annual firewood sale is this Saturday, Oct. 23 at 8 a.m., across from Blewett Elementary. Wood is $280 per cord. You are charged only for what you can carry. Please be prepared to load your own vehicle. See nelsonlions.ca for details.