8.4°C Not observed 
When Joyce Spilchuk of the Order of the Royal Purple talked about dwindling membership rolls (see page 3), she was referring specifically to her own group. However, the model she described is, unfortunately, far more widely applicable.
Fraternal organizations like the Royal Purple (as well as its traditionally male counterpart, the Elks, of which the writer is a member) have been part of local life for decades.
The Elks, the Lions, the Royal Canadian Legion, and their female affiliates are responsible for the May Day parade, and other hallmarks of Lillooet culture.
And then there are the many worthy causes to which these clubs donate, if not organize outright.
Sadly, the members of these groups are aging en masse, and many, perhaps even most, are entering their winter years.
Thus, they, and by extension the groups themselves, are losing the strength, literally, to support great causes. In the case of longtime members and volunteers in town, they are probably losing the necessary patience, too.
So that is one side of the woes service clubs face today; old-timers are hanging up their fezzes, vests, and berets, ready to pass on the reins. Which brings us to the supply side of things. While the demand is ever increasing, there are fewer and fewer young recruits waiting to grab hold.
The reasons why the old folks have to opt out are pretty intuitive; it is less obvious why no one is replacing them.
In Lillooet, the editorial board believes that several factors are at play, some more particular to the area than others.
First, demographics everywhere are changing and the population is skewing older and older. We are not immune and indeed, the effect might be pronounced here because of the town’s appeal to retirees and the retirement-minded.
Second, a lack of career-worthy jobs around Lillooet also makes it hard for talented young folks to stay here. Even those who want to stick around (and thus would be invested in life here) may not be able to.
Third, service clubs as a whole occupy less of our common attention because their impact has declined in recent generations. And as those untouched generations grow up, the idea of joining such a club is that much less likely to pass through their heads.
Fourth, the young people who are in town are typically bogged down by familial obligations, children in particular. Mind you, Spilchuk said she was able to play an active role in the Royal Purple while raising two children and running a business.
However, the editorial board posits that “good” parenting as it is understood today requires far more attention to the offspring. Not as in keeping fingers out of electrical sockets, but as in hockey practice, soccer lessons, and all the other stuff to keep them busy instead of joining gangs.
So we definitely know what the problem is, and now perhaps we have some idea what is causing it. The next step is finding a solution.
