– by Ken Marriette –
Prostate Cancer – not many men willingly want to talk about it, let alone be proactive. So, when Lion Joe Kaplan of Gordon Head club, gave a talk on the advantages of a new Green Light Laser tool to treat prostate disorders, our club members, all men, received it with mixed feelings. However, before the meeting ended, he challenged the Central Saanich Lions Club to help raise money for the purchase of such a machine. Thus, the club began discussions on how best to meet the challenge Kaplan had thrown out to us.
John Verhagen, Past President and very active member of the Central Saanich Lions Club, came up with the idea of collecting and cleaning old used water meters. The brass salvaged from these would then be sold to a local scrap dealer. Recognizing the scope of this project, long term member Al Kraatz volunteered to chair this fundraiser. Discarded meters were collected from both Central Saanich and Saanich municipalities, for no charge, provided all the proceeds were donated to the purchase of the Green Light Laser tool.
A crew of club members then began the arduous and labour-intensive process of collecting, salvaging and cleaning the brass. Over the next three and a half to four years the dedicated core team of Kraatz, Bob White, Derek Lorimer and past members Dick Gibson, and Brian Burgess did 95 percent of the “heavy lifting”. At times, other members lent a hand. According to Kraatz they had approximately 40 work parties, which involved collecting the meters and delivering the clean brass to the local scrap dealer.
In late October 2014, the Victoria Hospitals Foundation was invited to the club for a presentation of $45,915 to be applied to the purchase of accessories for the Green Light Laser. Dr. John Paul Whelan, Director of Surgical Services for Vancouver Island Health, gave an excellent and educational talk on prostate cancer and the great benefits of the Green Light Laser tool.
This project is just one example of how the Central Saanich Lions Club gives back to the community. If you are interested in good fellowship, volunteerism, fun and worthwhile fundraisers, why not consider joining our club. Dinner meetings are held the second and fourth Thursday of each month. For membership information contact Gary Wake 250-652-4764, or check out the website www.clubhouse.org/sites/centralsaanich.”
