Dennis Strom and Keene Kohrt stand next to one of the Wrangell Lions Club aluminum drop locations. The club uses the recyclables to raise funds for its various charitable projects.
If you've ever recycled a can in Wrangell, you probably have the Lions Club to thank. Since July 2014, the club has collected four full van-loads of the stuff.
Since 1968, the local chapter has been doing good in the community, supporting projects ranging from childhood eyecare to the annual Gold Medal basketball tournament held each March. A steady source of its fundraising comes from collecting discarded aluminum, which gets redeemed for cash when turned in for recycling.
"It doesn't have to be just cans," explained club president Janet Strom. The Lions also collect scrap sheets and unused materials, which then get shipped for reprocessing.
"The other thing we collect is eyeglasses," she added. Collection boxes are located at First Bank, the Senior Center and the Public Health Office. What they collect then gets sent to a Lions Club facility in North Pole for refurbishment and redistribution, primarily abroad through Lions Club International. Last year 40,000 pairs were collected in Alaska alone.
She and her husband, Dennis, have both been active in the program for nearly two decades. She said Dennis has been picking up cans now for 17 years.
Local businesses like Bobs' IGA provide space for collecting cans, while bars and restaurants bundle up their accumulated cans for the club. But Strom said shipping also costs money, and to make the program feasible the Lions Club depends on transportation assistance.
"A big part of this is Samson Tug and Barge. They donate the van and the shipping," she explained. "All the money then goes back into the community."
How this gets done is through contributions to organizations: Irene Ingle Public Library's summer reading program, radio station KSTK, the Salvation Army, and small school projects such as Brian Merritt's annual 4th grade river trip, the hooligan reading race, and two $500 scholarships awarded to high school graduates. These and other programs benefit from the local Lions.
Charter member Keene Kohrt has been with the club since the chapter started, and accompanies Dennis Strom on his weekly can runs. The two have picked up a number of odd things in the process, from aluminum tubes to old fuel tanks, even copper and brass.
What they gather changes by the week, but Kohrt explained that the size and makeup of the club itself has changed over the years. At the moment Wrangell's chapter is down to about seven members and is looking for more.
"It only takes about an hour once or twice a week," Strom said of the commitment. Those interested in joining can contact her at 874-4138, or check out the group's Facebook page.
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