Calgary Lions club members planting 5,000 trees this spring
There once was a novel, written in 1943 by Betty Smith, called A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Now, thanks to a bunch of Lions Club members, there might one day be a sequel called 2, 500 Trees Grow in a Dog Park in Thorncliffe.
That's because almost a dozen members are volunteering their time in the northeast Calgary community of Thorncliffe June 16 and 17 to plant native seedlings.
"We're planting pine and larch and Saskatoon and poplar," said Otto Silzer, Lions Club centennial tree planting chair.
Silzer explained that the project is tied to the Canadian Lions celebrating the 100th anniversary of Lions Clubs International being in Canada. As part of the initiative upwards of 500 Calgary club members committed to plant 50,000 trees over the next several years, including 5,000 this year.
"We're planting 2,500 trees in this dog park," said Silzer. "I think this is a worthwhile project for the Lions to get involved with and the betterment of the community and city."
Brian Sherret lives across the street from where the trees are being planted. He's impressed by the work of the volunteers in such a big space.
"I think it's great," said Sherret. "If I'd would have known about it a little earlier I probably would have volunteered too, I used to plant trees a long, long time ago."
Brian Stevenson has been a member for 55 years. He served as international president for its 1,400,000 members in 200 countries worldwide. Stevenson says the clubs are no stranger to planting trees.
"We had a motion by one of the past presidents about 10 years ago, he challenged the Lions to plant a million trees across the world," said Stevenson. "We surprised him because we planted 15 million."
IMPROVING COMMUNITIES
Eric Buttle has been volunteering with the Lions for 40 years and is a regular in its eye glasses recycling program. He likes improving communities close to home.
"It's just self-esteem," said Buttle. "Knowing that I'm doing something for the community."
Once finished in Thorncliffe the volunteers will head further east to Falconridge for some afternoon planting to improve yet another community.
"The old saying the sun never sets on the British Empire," said Stevenson. "It never sets on Lions and we change lives every minute of ever day for the better."
Learn more about Lions clubs here: www.lions clubs.org
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.