Two look for others to join pride of Lions

Published 10:40 pm Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Two Vietnam War veterans aren’t content to relax and watch soap operas, fish or gas up RVs.

John Flesher and Frank Votry are retired and eager to serve their community. They formed the Seven Lakes Lions Club and hope others will join their mission.

Flesher is one of those nice guys who deftly puts a napkin under a lady’s dripping hot chocolate mug while we chatted at the Cookie Mill in Stanwood. The pair have a bit of time for coffee, but their retirement plates are full.

It’s a branch of the Arlington Lions Club, because the new club has only about 10 members.

They’ll have to double their membership to be independent. There are certain things you can’t do as a branch, Votry said. For instance, they would like to run their own program to collect eyeglasses and hearing aids.

And ladies can be Lions, too. Their wives, Sharron Votry and Joan Flesher, are members.

Join if you can flip pancakes, pick up roadside litter and screen kids for hearing and eye problems.

Votry, a retired U.S. Marine, said their neighborhood really does include seven lakes, south of Stanwood and west of Smokey Point.

They meet at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at the Lake Goodwin Community Club, 17323 42nd Ave. NW in Stanwood.

Their first raffle item was a bottle of wine made by Votry. He uses blackberries on his property and calls the wine he makes Votre Sante, French for “to your health.”

Votry was a Lion in Oak Harbor and Stanwood.

“There are many things a Lions Club can do,” Votry said. “We built wheelchair ramps in Oak Harbor and collected hospital equipment to loan out, like crutches and beds.”

He came to the Northwest with his job in the aerospace business and settled in Seven Lakes to split the difference between children who live in Lynnwood, Shoreline and Mount Vernon.

Flesher was in the Army for 10 years and was stationed at Sand Point in Seattle. He says he drove to Stanwood once and decided he would never live in that little burg. Now he loves his home in Seven Lakes and volunteers at the Stanwood Food Bank.

He was a watchmaker and retired from Fred Meyer in Lynnwood.

The pair would like anyone interested in becoming a member of the Seven Lakes Lions Club to call Votry at 360-654-0145 or Flesher at 360-654-1332.

They’ve made a pamphlet for anyone who wants to join.

“Make new friends,” it reads. “Enjoy the fellowship of others who want to make a difference. Be a part of a worldwide humanitarian organization.”

One of their first projects was to do vision and hearing screenings for more than 400 children in the Lakewood School District. And most importantly, money raised in Seven Lakes stays in the area.

Votry was disappointed that as a reporter, I couldn’t accept a gift of vino. I was touched that he brought me homemade Votre Sante.

Nice men, who think giving to their communities is a lifelong pursuit.

Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.