Editor, The News:
Re: The poor will always be among us (Letters, May 4).
The current homelessness situation in particular and the poverty in general in Maple Ridge is rampant and indeed a very sad and tragic situation.
Nathan Sands couldn’t have been more correct if he tried with his statements, as follows: “Here the sense of brotherhood has been lost. We come home from work, lock our doors, watch TV, go to sleep and then wake up and do it all again”.
His next sentence is so true yet a very sad statement about society in general today.
He states: “The need for community has been abandoned and we are concerned only for ourselves.”
Being concerned for ourselves seems to becoming more of a sad reality today.
Case in point, many organizations in general, and service clubs in particular, are struggling to get younger people to join their respective groups and clubs.
Service clubs such as the Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary are needed now more than ever in almost every community, and yet a lot of people don’t want to join these clubs and be in position to takeover when the aging populations of members in these organizations can no longer be active.
Many of these clubs locally have had to fold because they just simply can’t get people to join for the reasons Mr. Sands mentioned.
‘Too busy and can’t/don’t want to spend the time to help those in need’ are the most common responses from people.
Many people have no idea how much these three worldwide service organizations do for their respective communities.
It will be a sad fact if and when these clubs no longer exist ( Kiwanis is 101 years old this year) because people just won’t take the time to help.
The Kiwanis Club of Ridge Meadows is a rare situation with a demographic of younger members, but our club is the exception and not the norm, I’m afraid.
For any of your readers, I make a personal plea to ask you to look around and see how many people in your community need you and to think about getting more involved.
John Cowan
Kiwanis Club of
Ridge Meadows
