The Smithers Lions Club has once again awarded bursaries to graduating high school students, but it will be the last time.
The club, which has served the community for 56 years, announced in a letter to Town Council that it will be dissolving at the end of this year.
The club had been invited to participate in a Committee of the Whole meeting June 16 on the future of the fairgrounds where the Lions own a building, but declined to send a representative.
“Due to an aging and dwindling membership the club has decided to dissolve at the end of the year and, to that end is in the process of selling its assets, in this particular case the Smithers Lions Den at the fairgrounds, to another non-profit organization,” wrote Mike Wyllie, the club’s secretary.
The Lions also own the railcar which is currently home to CICK Smithers Community Radio between the Bulkley Valley Museum and Chamber of Commerce at Hwy 16 and Main Street.
Station manager Glen Ingram confirmed that CICK is currently in discussions with the Lions to purchase the railcar.
As one of its final acts, the club dispensed five bursaries of $750 to graduating students who filled out an application and wrote an essay on why volunteering is important.
Recipients were: Kristen Groen (Ebenezer), Hanneliese Lakowski (BVCS), Tara Kerr (SSS), Cara Brawdy (SSS) and Mackenzie Kirten-Spurway.
READ GROEN’S ESSAY: Volunteers are the beating heart of community
The club still has $1,000 bursaries for university students to give out in September, but after that the program comes to an end, Wyllie said.