Faced with declining membership, a longtime Castlegar service club is no more.
Lions International cancelled the charter of Castlegar Selkirk Lions Club at their request, effective June 29.
“We’ve been struggling the last couple of years,” said Joanne Baker, who has belonged to the organization for 18 years.
“We only had 12 members and fewer than six were ever available to do an event, so it becomes quite difficult to put on any sort of event you that you can make some money and actually help your community.”
Baker said those who remained either wanted to retire from volunteering or were part of the sandwich generation looking after both parents and children and finding it hard to fit in their own lives. The pandemic was also difficult on all service clubs, she added.
Lions International has more than 1.4 million members as well as several other local chapters.
The Castlegar club was chartered in 1971 by local businessmen when it was still an all-men’s organization. Membership was extended to women in the mid-1980s.
Baker said the club’s earliest years were also its most active. It put on rodeos, brought the RCMP Musical Ride to town, attended the West Kootenay trade fair each year, and built Pass Creek Regional Park.
More recently the club has focused on kids events and due to its limited membership, teamed up with other groups.
Since March, they have been working on distributing their assets, first to other Lions Clubs in the area, then to other volunteer organizations, then to the general public. Some equipment went to Camp Winfield, the Lions camp for kids with disabilities.
In all more than 30 groups will benefit, including the SPCA, Sunfest, and Castlegar Hospice, to name just a few.
Used eyeglasses, which the club collected, can continue to be dropped off at the usual locations in Trail and Castlegar and will be picked up by the Nelson Lions for recycling.
Among other local Lions Clubs, Baker said the Kootenay-Slocan branch is facing similar low numbers, but the Nelson and Salmo clubs have been doing okay.
“While we are sad to say goodbye, we are proud of all we have done in our community for more than 50 years,” the club said in a Facebook post announcing its demise.
“Thank you to those of you in the community that have supported our events over the years.”
The post also acknowledged charter members Walter Holuboff and Moe Zibin for their years of service.
