Letter to the editor: La Center Lions Club thanks community

Posted

Editor,

These past few months have been a whirlwind for the La Center Lion’s Giving Tree, as expected in our second year of facilitating this project. Back at the beginning of November, we placed applications in all three schools, the library, City Hall and the post office, and we are thankful for the willingness of the staff at these locations to provide a safe and discreet location for picking up and returning of applications. 

Once Christmas trees were up after Thanksgiving, tags were placed on trees in the community, and community members immediately began shopping. The mad dash that is December brought great joy as we watched all the donations that came into our workshop from the community. Then, on a cold and rainy Saturday morning before Christmas, all those donations along with food baskets provided by the La Center Lions Club were delivered and picked up. Things calmed down surrounding the Giving Tree Project, and we spent our holidays with our families. 

Now, we have had time to reflect on everything that has taken place in the last few months. We still think about the families in need and their situations that brought them our way. A wide range of tragedies, disasters and hardships have occurred for those who walk every day among us as if nothing has happened. When we think of the 28-plus families that we helped, we think about all the people who made it possible. This is not an event that is accomplished by just one person, or just the La Center Lions Club, but instead it is supported by the entire La Center community, and we would like to take a moment to give thanks and acknowledge their support. The following businesses and organizations provided trees from which gift tags were hung and provided a place for gifts to be dropped off: Altered Image, the La Center Church, The La Center Library, the Last Frontier and New Phoenix Casinos, Podunk Pizza Company, Sadie and Josie's Bakery, Silo Hair Salon, Stonehill Coffee Shop and The La Center elementary, middle and high school offices. Sadie and Josie's Bakery provided 35 loaves of bread, and the Clark County Dairy Women provided milk and butter for all the families. The La Center Lions and friends provided the manpower to organize and distribute both gifts and food to the families that were accepted to the program. However, the program would not be possible if it weren’t for the many citizens of La Center and neighboring communities that went out, picked up a tag — or several — and purchased the gifts for their neighbors in need. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to be part of this event and to work with all of the wonderful people in our community. The generosity of this community never ceases to amaze me, and I can’t express how happy and full of joy I am to have seen this second year of the Giving Tree be a success.

Paula Leach

La Center Lions Club

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