Make it sound like we had a good time

A STORY WORTH TELLING

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” — Herman Melville

“Write an article about the banquet … and make it sound like we had a good time,” the judge pronounced as punishment after declaring me guilty.

The mock prosecution was part of the kangaroo court fun at the Center Noon Lion’s Club annual banquet last Thursday night. The proceedings lacked due process and exhibited bias with a predetermined outcome. But the judge was fair and impartial. Sort of every member attending was roasted and sentenced.

If you’re a Lion or know anyone who is, you already know that fun is a key element of not just the annual banquet but every week’s meeting. The Pledge of Allegiance, the prayer and the singing of a song with “words of wisdom” are the cues that unleash a barrage of weak humor laced with a few zingers here and there.

However, the service side of any civic or community club, such as the Lions Club, is the members’ solemn dedication to enabling growth and keeping communities alive, viable and connected.

That means serving others, connecting with the community, giving back to aid the current generation and preparing for the next.

An early mentor made his case to me on that topic long ago. He said each of us has to “pay our rent” as community members.

“We can get involved where we live and help the community succeed, or we can sit back and watch it struggle,” were his words. “You are either part of the progress or part of the stagnation. There is no neutral ground.”

Because I never forget those words from someone I admire and look up to, membership in civic clubs and organizations everywhere I’ve lived and worked since college has been something I just do.

I joined the Mount Pleasant Lions Club in 1971. Similar associations I have been involved with during my lifetime include local aviation groups, car clubs and other dedicated organizations having fun while giving back to the community through donations, scholarships, sponsorships and volunteer work.

I joined the Center Noon Lions Club in about 1979 and served as president in 1985. Although a lifelong Lion here and in other communities, there was one notable exception.

That time, I relocated to Boerne down in the Hill Country. Ready to jump into community service as the newspaper publisher there, I included in my introduction how I was a member of the Lions Club and a lifetime member of the Texas Lions Camp in Kerrville, a nonprofit providing a free summer camp experience for children with physical disabilities, diabetes and cancer.

The ink on the pages of that week’s edition was not even dry when a member of the local Lions Club walked into the office with an invitation for me to join.

“Great,” I said. “I’ll see you Thursday. Where do you meet?”

“We don’t meet on Thursdays. We meet on Wednesday nights,” he responded.

“Oh man,” I lamented. “I’m tied up on Wednesday nights. I go to church.”

Short pause. “You wouldn’t happen to be Episcopalian, would you?” he asked.

So it was that Boerne gave this lifelong Lion his first experience as a member of the Rotary Club. That move allows me to give gratitude to both organizations today.

Indeed, numerous civic clubs collaborate to enhance the quality of life in every community. The key is to get involved. Be part of that crucial role in fostering connections, addressing concerns and driving positive change in your community.

Getting involved has been especially easy for me. Having spent a career in communication and media endeavors, my affiliation with a civic-minded group has made me a strong candidate for public relations-related offices.

Civic clubs are comprised of many different members, some with more responsibility than others, but each with a definite role to play to be considered a member in good standing. I was even once a member of The Birch John Society, a little-known organization struggling to preserve the use of wooden toilet seats. Think about that one for a minute. It will come to you.

And remember that if you come to the Lions Club, make sure you have a good joke. Or two.

That ensures I can work off my sentence by writing something about how we really do have fun.

Contact Aldridge at [email protected]. Other Aldridge columns are archived at leonaldridge.com