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Gylsen a Lions Club member giving back to his community [UPDATED]
Published 9:44am Tuesday, January 24, 2012 Updated 11:54am Wednesday, January 25, 2012The New York Mills Lions Club, while happy to take part in various community celebrations, also takes pride in doing its share for community betterment and helping people in need.
An example, said active Lions Club member Kyle Gylsen, is construction of an outreach building adjacent to the food shelf on the south side of town. That’s where furniture and other items are stored for needy families.
“We (Lions) donated $6,500 for the outreach building. It was an initial $5,000 and then we added what was left over from other monies raised,” said Gylsen. “Labor also was donated, and in two to three days the addition was completed. It was great to see several Lions Club members pitching in and working together to get the job done.”
Gylsen joined the Lions Club shortly after moving to New York Mills in 1993. He works for a radio station in Wadena and his wife, Jackie, is a optician in Wadena.
The local Lions Club is 100 members strong, ranging in age from people in their 20s to members in their 80s.
“I’m very proud to say that very few in our club, if any, were looking for publicity or individual awards when they joined the Lions, or when asked to work on a project,” said Gylsen. “They do it because they want to give back to the community.”
Gylsen served as Lions Club president in the late 1990s and is back on the board of directors.
As a fundraising effort, the Mills Lions Club has an electronics recycling program, collecting old TVs, VCRs, monitors and other items. The collected items are sold and shipped to a company in Brainerd.
The club, through grants and donations, purchased three AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) for the price of one to be used in the community.
The Mills Lions Club is helping to fund the New York Mills High School Band to play in the National Fourth of July parade in Washington, D.C., in 2012. The Lions have committed $15,000 over three years to help pay for new uniforms and band equipment.
The club donated $50,000 over a five-year period to help improve the outdoor city swimming pool.
Lions funds also have been donated to help upgrade city playground equipment over the years.
“Club membership also provides a great opportunity to network and meet a great group of people with many different interests, backgrounds and hobbies,” said Gylsen.
