Civic groups see drop in members, not a drop in the need for service

Jana Mathia, Whitman County Gazette | Nov 12, 20200

COLFAX — In the wake of the devastation of the Labor Day fires, there was an outpouring of aid for the surrounding region.

Civic clubs were the first to step up to assist in the response. The groups have the structure in place to accept donated items and money, and begin channeling it to the people in need. While the gears began to move for the large charities and relief organizations, friends and neighbors, through groups such as the Lions and Eagles, were already providing aid to the victims.

“We just happened to be organized enough to get this off the ground immediately,” Barb Bothman, Rosalia Lion’s Club president, said.

Local groups were the first to step up, despite that most are seeing a decline in membership.

Civic clubs support their communities in many ways.

The Rosalia Lion group grants scholarships to high school graduates, puts up Christmas lights, hosts an Easter egg hunt, a Santa visit, sponsor a giving tree, and do annual maintenance on Riggs Cemetery.

During the Palouse Empire Fair, they run an ice cream booth.

“For our community, we do a lot,” Bothman said. “We do a lot of little things.”

The club’s 15 members are mostly retirement age.

“We’re just a service organization and our motto is, ‘we serve’,” she said.

After Malden and Pine City were destroyed by fire, their service became a lot bigger. An account was set up through the Lions Club to collected donated funds, which were then distributed through gift cards, garden hoses, rakes, and more.

“That’s been a huge job,” Bothman said.

A huge job that was mostly managed by five of the club’s members.

South of Malden another club was stepping up. Eagles Aerie 2317 in Colfax had water bottles intended for use at the fair, which had been canceled. After the local fires, the Eagles decided to donate 10 cases of water to the firefighters.

When they saw the devastation that stretched through that day, the club decided to host a dinner, said Liliana Fry, club secretary and manager. They pulled together a bratwurst and soup dinner for firefighters, victims and whoever else needed it. They took donations to Malden and saw efforts and shared need to do more.

When donations of clothes and household items began to flood in, the Eagles stepped up as the place to bring the items. Fry said they had the space as the pandemic restriction kept their dance floor unoccupied and it made for a good staging area. The Eagles joined with other groups in the continuing effort of helping the Malden area victims, taking part in the weekly community meetings and passing on more donations.

“We’ve have a huge amount of success out there helping people,” Fry said.

Getting new members has been a challenge for both clubs. The Lions has one younger member who Bothman said is very active and often brings friends to service activities. She believes the lack of interest is due to the increase in other activities available for families.

“Life has gotten so busy with activities,” she said.

The Eagles made a point of appealing to a younger crowd the last few years to boost its membership. Fry, 27 and mother of two children, believes the lack of new members for civic clubs is due to a lack of care for the community.

“It’s not that people don’t have time, they don’t have a concept about what is needed in their community,” she said. “If people are not part of the community, not involved in groups that focus on the community, they are not aware of the needs of its people.”

Clubs need younger members who are valued.

“We know younger people can contribute a lot,” said Fry.

Despite the extra burden of helping the fire victims, both women enjoy being part of their clubs. Bothman said her parents were Lion’s club members and she joined to help serve people in her community.

“It’s a really cool thing to see and be a part of,” said Fry of her club involvement. She said once someone volunteers, they are more likely to come back.

Each club has a Facebook page. Anyone interested in learning more about the clubs is welcome to talk to its members.