Dear Fellow Members,
In times of crisis, I am always proud to be a member of Lakewood Yacht Club. In the aftermaths of Hurricanes Ike and Harvey, we pulled together and worked tirelessly to restore our club. Members also donated clothing, furniture, housing, and money to help others recover. The worst of circumstances brought out the best of our community.
While the impact of our current situation is not as visible as a hurricane, it is having a dramatic impact on our community and our employees. The closing of the service industry has left thousands of people in the county without jobs and fearful of what the future may hold. Lakewood’s food and beverage operations have been equally impacted. We have adjusted to a take-out service and are trying to keep our staff employed by providing them alternate duties around the club. However, despite these efforts, employees are still experiencing a reduction in work hours and a loss of income.
Last night, your Executive Committee met and approved using some hardship funds to help our employees meet their own personal liabilities. For most of the them, the additional cash does not make up the difference in pay, but it does help soften the blow. However, funding will run out quickly.
Many of you have asked, “How can we help?” Contributing to the hardship fund is an excellent way to aid our employees. Any funds received will be held in a separate account and will be used for the sole purpose of helping our employees. If you would like to contribute to this fund, you can send a check made payable to “Lakewood Yacht Club.” Please write the words “Trust Account” in the memo.
A little bit can go a long way. There are 36 employees who are directly impacted. I understand this is not an ideal time, many of us have our own personal finances that have been affected with the economic turmoil. Anything you can give is greatly appreciated. A list of employees who will benefit from this program and their tenure with the Club is listed below.
As always, thank you for your gifts of time and talent! We will get through this tough time and emerge stronger than ever.
Sincerely,
Rex Bettis
Commodore
