The Lexington Sertoma Club recently invited me to speak about Latin American mission trips. We gathered at the picnic shelter in Virginia Hylton Park as it provided a place to safely distance.

They have added a virtual option and their meetings are now a combination of inperson and on Zoom. 10 members attended and 5 connected on Zoom. Sertoma stands for “Service to Mankind.”

Sertoma stands for “Service to Mankind.” It is an international charitable organization focused on serving the needs of those at risk or suffering hearing loss.

What struck me most about this group was their determination to continue raising funds to support their core mission – speech, hearing and community.

Their project, Camp Sertoma for youth, is in the upstate near Clemson. There kids with speech or hearing impairments can enjoy outdoor living for a week. They camp, hike, boat and enjoy sports under the guidance of specially trained counselors.

Through the club’s major fundraisers – the spring golf tournament and the Big Thursday Banquet - Sertomans raise funds to send children to the camp.

Unfortunately, the pandemic dictated that they forgo Camp Sertoma for 2020. Everyone was disappointed but just because camp was cancelled did not mean that the campers would be ignored. The Lexington Sertoma Club raised funds to provide every camper with a gift bag containing a Camp Sertoma embroidered blanket, Camp Sertoma mini flags and a gift card.

This club set a standard for all of us and other service organizations to find new ways to serve others.

Chuck McCurry, Lexington

Solar baloney

Articles on solar power rave about how much it has increased, which state is doing what and the future for its expansion. To the uninitiated all of this enthusiasm could give the impression that solar power is a great development and boon to mankind.

The solar power phenomenon is a result of tax credit subsidies that no one wants to talk about. If you are out in the boonies, solar power beats having no power. But the production of solar power to feed into the grid and compete with traditional sources of power is a phony, government-created industry with no free market support.

Without subsidies, one would be a fool to invest his own money in the technology.

Warren Buffet says solar does not make sense without the tax breaks. The big winners in the solar business owe their success to political connections and gaming complicated governmental programs.

Jim Clarkson, Columbia