On behalf of the Mercer Island Lions Club, we want to extend our thanks to all who made the annual Christmas tree sale another success.

We are grateful for our customers’ generosity in purchasing our exceptional-quality trees, and proud to have raised the funds needed to help Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, Meals on Wheels, senior large print library, Senior Service programs and Boy Scout Troop and USA blind and hearing-impaired neighbors.

We also had a lot of fun bringing together volunteers from the UW’s Foster School of Business, Mercer Island Youth and Family Services, Mercer Island Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scout Troop 647, the Mercer Island Rotary and the Mercer Island Soccer Lacrosse team.

A lot of sweat equity went into bringing the trees in, matching them with families and keeping the lot ship-shape — but we all agreed that it was rewarding work that made the hours fly.

One of my favorite experiences this year was meeting a teenager who donated the tips he had earned. He wanted to contribute to getting leader dogs and hearing aids for local people, and felt that every little bit mattered.

It certainly does to Lions, and to the people we serve.

Kudos to all who helped us come together as a community, and made our 2016 commitment a huge success!

Noble and Douglas firs all, and to all a good night!

Nancy Harvey

Mercer Island Lions