Lions Club offers up local scholarships
The Fort Myers Beach Lions Club delivered scholarships to 10 local students Thursday.
The club held an awards dinner and program at St. Raphael’s Church, at which seven of the 10 students attended. Each student received $1,000.
Ron Martin, executive assistant fire chief of life safety and support services for the Fort Myers Beach Fire District, and Ed Milde of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) spoke as guests at the dinner. Both spoke about preparing for a disaster and taking an active role in one’s safety.
During a disaster, residents can’t depend on emergency services for help. In some cases, emergency services themselves are victims of a disaster, such as losing equipment or personnel.
A hurricane preparedness plan should keep a household self-sufficient for 72 to 96 hours, Martin said.
Martin expanded his program to include other kinds of disasters, such as active shooters. Often, he said, witnesses will notice something strange but are afraid to say anything. Witnesses of the 2012 theater shooting in Aurora, Col., noticed the shooter acting strangely and dressed conspicuously, but no one said anything.
“If you see something, report it,” Martin said. “You need to be an active participant in your safety.”
The Lions had 24 applications for its scholarship program. Board member Darby Doerzbacher said judging the applications was one of the hardest things to do.
“We were looking at what you need and what you’ve given back to the community,” she said. “We’re here to serve you so you can serve the world.”
List of recipients:
Jacob Franklin, Florida Atlantic University
Jason Freeman, University of Kentucky
Karen Jahuey Garay, Florida SouthWestern State College
Annie Salyers, George Washington University
Taylor Sorrell, Purdue University
Sarah Swiersz, University of Central Florida
Madison Tezak, Florida Gulf Coast University
Jordan Wallace , University of Florida
Sydney Wallace, University of Florida
William Holt Wallace, University of Florida