The Yelm Lions Club, which has been a community staple for nearly 70 years, needs new members and leadership volunteers if it wants to continue operating as an organization.
The club is on the hunt for new volunteers to fill the key positions of president, secretary and treasurer by May.
Christy Garcia, a Yelm Lions Club and board member for nearly 10 years, said there are several volunteers on the board who will not be able to continue serving in their integral positions. The board has worked to evaluate its current membership and seeks to fill the upcoming vacant positions but have been unable to identify anyone to take on the roles.
Garcia said in some instances, nonprofits can stay afloat by having members share the key position roles, but a lack of members can put a damper on that strategy, which has happened to the Yelm Lions Club.
“We’re at a point right now where it gets harder and harder each year to fill these roles. We’re all busy, we all have full lives,” Garcia said. “A lot of times there’s people who fill those roles and shuffle them around for years. Community members have been interested in the projects and activities for years, but not necessarily leadership roles.”
She said the three key positions are all volunteer roles, but there is free training available for the roles of president, treasurer and secretary.
“When you have membership declining and there’s key roles needed, you kind of end up in this bind,” Garcia said.
The club’s calendar year lasts from July 1 through June 30. Since the club’s calendar year is set to end in a few months, Garcia said they need to have “an idea” of who the new key position holders will be by the start of May.
The Yelm Lions Club has been a large supporter of the Yelm community since its creation. They host a plethora of community events.
“We offer a tremendous benefit to the community,” Garcia said. “One of the things we have assisted with as long as I’ve been a member, is we’re involved in vision within the community. We have a set budget to provide eye exams, glasses for families who can’t afford it.”
Each year, the Yelm Lions Club hosts a free Christmas Store where children 12 years old and under can pick out a gift to give to their parents for the holiday. Garcia said this is another event the community has come to know and love.
But perhaps the biggest event the club hosts is its Movies in the Park program during the summer months. The family-friendly movie night is held at Longmire Park. Garcia said each time the club hosts a movie, they see a couple hundred people turnout for the festivities.
Garcia said that due to the lack of future leadership commitments, they haven’t started planning for this summer’s edition of Movies in the Park. She added they typically start discussions related to the summer activity by this point in the year.
The club has also participated in several highway cleanup projects that spanned from Walmart to Stewart’s Meats. They serve as the physical home for a local Boy Scouts Troop and as their charter organization.
“We’re confident that we will make it,” Garcia said. “But right now we’re in a precarious position. We need help.”
For inquiries related to leadership opportunities with the Yelm Lions Club, contact Garcia at 360-480-9126 or through email at yelmlionsclub@hotmail.com.
