This is Lion Dotty here with Lion Bruce Armstrong. And today we are going to find out why Bruce became a Lion. So Bruce, Why did you become a Lion?
Well, I became a Lion for a number of reasons, and I suppose that’s true with everybody, but one of them that is my father. He didn’t make me join the Lions but he was an accountant who loved his job and I have a childhood memory of lying in bed listening to him on his adding machine and he found great joy in his his work. But greater joy in his Lions Club experience. Tuesday night, he disappeared with a lot of his buddies. There was men only at that time in Lions. We’ve fixed that error, but he found great satisfaction in being a Lion and he vested his family in Lions events also.
My brother and I, remember being sent out with boxes of light bulbs, to sell light bulbs to neighbors. That was one of the big fundraisers back in the early 60’s. His Club also had Christmas tree sale, and it was fun to be a part of that as well as other events picnics and others. My dad died at the age of 63, at a Lions Club Convention. And of course, I was a great shock and loss to our family. But in the years since I have thought if Dad could have picked the place that he would leave this life or start his new life, it would certainly have been at a Lions Club activity, or Lions Club function. That’s a reason that I joined several years later, but another big reason is to live up to the life my father led, and the motto of Lions Club, WE SERVE.
That’s awesome. So a lot of times Lions join a reason that’s different than why they stayed. Can you tell me why you remain a Lion to this day? And how long have you been a Lion?
Well, I’ve been a Lion for about 30 years, in four different settings as my family have moved across the state of Washington. And I remained a Lion because it’s a wonderful opportunity to do a couple of things. Connect to people that I wouldn’t ordinarily meet, and also too serve the community and particularly those who are most vulnerable. I heard a statement some years ago that has been very helpful to me. That service to others, is the cost of the common good. And Lions Club lives up to that. To help people who are in need in a variety of ways and to help us to find and nurture the common good of all Humanity.
Great. So if we have any, potential new members watching this video, what would your advice to them be?
I would say give it a try. Lions Club is certainly not for everybody but it is for many, and that is for those sometimes who don’t think it is. If you come and give it a try, in some small way, either to a club meeting or to a club activity. You might find that it’s exactly the right fit for you to serve others, to meet friends, and to enjoy life.
