Lions Clubs send books to troops in Afghanistan

By Carolyn Sloan

The Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

Capt. Scott Spurr knows how welcome such kindnesses are when serving overseas, miles away from the comforts of home.

On behalf of his fellow comrades, the 14 Wing public affairs officer expressed his gratitude to local Lions Clubs providing books and magazines to the troops in Afghanistan.

“I know firsthand that they really do [appreciate it],” he told the Lions at a dinner meeting April 14 in Annapolis Royal.

A special guest that evening, Spurr was there to witness the presentation of a commemorative print to the Annapolis Royal legion. The print, entitled “Fallen Comrades,” had been given to the Annapolis Lions a few months ago as a gift from the troops, and in turn, the club had decided to offer it to the legion, where it could be properly displayed.

“On behalf of the Legion, I thank the Lions Club for this,” said Lion and Legion service officer Royal Hall upon receiving the print. “This one will be worth appreciating.”

The collection of books and magazines for the troops was initiated by the Annapolis Royal Lions Club about a year ago, inspired by Lion Charlotte Taylor’s daughter, Corp. Susan Cameron, who was serving in Afghanistan. After suggesting to her mother that the troops have reading materials to enjoy during their downtime, Charlotte and her daughter started to send a few books overseas at their own expense.

When the idea reached the Annapolis club, the Lions started their own collection, sending books and magazines with shipments of supplies heading to Afghanistan from 14 Wing Greenwood. Soon other Lions Clubs, including Kingston, Middleton, Lawrencetown, Bridgetown, Deep Brook, Meteghan, Yarmouth and Mahone Bay, began adding to the collection as well.

Approximately 400 soft-covered books and magazines have been sent to the forces overseas thus far, with over a thousand more currently in storage. However, not all books collected make it to the troops. First, the material is sorted at the Greenwood base to weed out any books that wouldn’t be appropriate to take to Afghanistan, and the remaining material is loaded onto the planes whenever there is any extra space on board.