Three Service Organizations working together for a Common Goal
“A little friendly competition never hurt anyone” is how the old adage goes. The Hot Springs Village Evening Lions are using this spirit of competition to gather other Hot Springs Village Service groups together this year to participate in Celebrate Community Week.
Celebrate Community is a joint initiative developed in 2021 by the leaders of the four major service organizations, Lions, Rotarians, Kiwanis, and Optimist Clubs, to maximize volunteer efforts and make a positive impact on their community. This year, Celebrate Community is scheduled for the week of September 11, 2023. Rotarian President Susan Clark commented, “This event creates a wonderful opportunity for our three organizations to work together to improve the community.”
The HSV Evening Lions strategized on how to best consolidate efforts and brainstormed on creating a Hot Springs Village Community Spirit award. The trophy will act as a prize for the HSV service organization that has the most members participating in this year’s fundraising event.
Collectively, the Lions, Kiwanis, and Rotarians decided to collaborate on the HSV Patriot Walk scheduled for September 11. With a glint in his eye, Evening Lion President Bob Peterson commented, “ I am not sure who is going to win, but you will definitely see a lot of yellow (Lion) shirts out there!”
This first public effort for a collaborative project creates a springboard for other collaborative projects, and the organizations are already strategizing on how to build upon this partnership. For this endeavor, the funds raised at the HSV Patriot Walk will go to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, a non-profit organization created to support Fire, Police, and EMS responders and their families. We were all inspired to see individuals and groups banding together to support NYC rescue efforts after the 9/11 tragedy, so this feels like a great starting point for our collaborative efforts as well, said Lion Vice-President Cristina Davis. The collaborative efforts of the three organizations should assist in raising more funds for this worthwhile charity.
The HSV Patriot walk ceremony starts at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, September 11, and the Kiwanis, Lions, and Rotarians will be in full force with a group photo at 9:00 a.m. at Grove Park. We will see who snags bragging rights at that time and carries home the HSV Community Spirit Award. See you there!
By Cristina Davis, HSV Evening Lions Club Vice President; Photo by Cristina Davis
