To the editor:

So, what does it take? The South Whidbey Lions Club has been serving the South Whidbey communities for over 60 years, helping the little people who need our help. When other nonprofit organizations ask for our assistance, we are there to pitch in, too, although the Lions’ main focus is to help those in need with vision and hearing care. We provide exams, eyeglasses and hearing aids at no cost to those who qualify. We are a club of 40 service-minded members. We are just everyday people caring for everyday people who need our help.

In today’s paper (South Whidbey Record, June 25), you ran a story about Relay For Life for the benefit of the American Cancer Society. We were not mentioned at all in your story. Yet, one of our members, Leland McCloskey, volunteered to be “jailed for bail” in this fundraiser and he was even wearing his Lions vest so how could he be missed?

“Mac” is 93 years old and has been a supporter of the South Whidbey community for decades; he is on the Board of Good Cheer; is a supporter of the Bayview Alternative School and many others. Mac has been a member of the South Whidbey Lions for almost 25 years. In addition, seven members of the South Whidbey Lions volunteered to cook and serve a pancake breakfast at the Relay For Life event on Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. We have done this breakfast for two years and you have managed to ignore us for those two years.

Another crew of 15 members have been busily cleaning and sprucing up Freeland Park to ready it for the annual July 3 celebration, for a total of 207 hours expended. When we are at the park working, mothers with their children often come up to say thank you. Your tax dollars are not maintaining the park. So a few years ago, the South Whidbey Lions took on the project of building a picnic pavilion and barbecue. In addition, since that time, we have installed the landscaping and have been maintaining the planting areas on an ongoing basis.

The South Whidbey Lions have for many years and continues to participate in the highway cleanup program, picking up the litter on Highway 525 from Thompson Road to Scott Road. Again, we cannot be missed as we work as we wear our yellow Lions vests.

For several decades, the South Whidbey Lions have volunteered our services at the Island County Fairgrounds, reroofing several buildings, the food concessions, erecting new fencing for the Jim Eakin Arena, donating and installing a flagpole at the arena, painting, making new signs; the list goes on.

All of this is in the name of community service. There have been five members of the South Whidbey Lions who have been named as your “Hometown Heroes” in The South Whidbey Record; one is now deceased. Again, we are everyday people helping everyday people. We are not one to beat our chests and shout to the world about the great things we do, but it is difficult for us to get volunteers when it would appear that our efforts are not appreciated. We have to wonder, so what does it take?

Troy Nakamura

Secretary

South Whidbey Lions