Thank you for patronage during sale

Dear Editor,
The Friends of the Clarkston Independence District Library Board would like to thank all those involved in our recent Used Book Sale at the library.
The sale was very successful, raising funds to enable the library staff to provide useful, interesting and entertaining programs for all ages in our community.
Particular thanks go to the many volunteers who sort the donated books throughout the year, help with the set-up and clean-up processes, and who help during the sale in the book room and as cashiers.
These sales would not happen without you! Also, of special note this year, we would like to sincerely thank members of the Clarkston High School National Honor Society who tackled a lot of the heavy lifting tasks for both set-up and clean-up with a “can-do” attitude that was refreshing!
The community can certainly be proud of these youth whose help was invaluable! The community members who volunteered to help during the Impact Weekend also made our set-up process go much more quickly.
It was a true joy to work with the families and students who generously donated their time and efforts to this community project!
And, of course, we need to thank the community as a whole for your generosity in both book donations and participation in the sale by purchasing many, many books!
We feel truly blessed to live in a community that values its library and supports the projects and programs offered there!
Julie Meyer,
Friends of the Library Board

White Cane Week support appreciated

Dear Editor,
The Clarkston Area Lions wish to thank everyone for their support during our recent “White Cane Week”. Through your generosity, we collected $9,778.
All of the funds collected will be used to support many sight and hearing projects, including Leader Dogs for the Blind, Eversight Michigan (formerly the Michigan Eye Bank), Lions Bear Lake Camp for Physically Challenged Youth, Penrickton Center for Blind Children, Beaumont Silent Children Fund, and the District 11A2 Lions Hearing Program in Macomb and Oakland Counties, just to mention a few. Additionally, we support Clarkston Lighthouse and the Clarkston Independence District Library (resources for the sight impaired).
Money raised during White Cane Week also allows the Lions to provide eyeglass and hearing aid support to those in need, as well as free vision screening for pre-school children. Vision screenings are offered on the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Clarkston Independence District Library, as well as at many other community events.
Whether from a car window or at the grocery store, it is the generosity of donors that allows the Clarkston Area Lions to help serve others. You are truly helping the Lions make a difference in our community.
Lion Bob Murdock
President, Clarkston Area Lions

A call for truth in transgender debate

Dear Editor,
In response to Don Rush’s article, “Snowing, mowing & transgender restrooms,” May 18, as an ally/advocate of the transgender community, the whole bathroom/locker room issue has really left me perplexed.
A problem was created when it never existed. Documentation of transgender people living in our communities have been recorded in our earliest civilizations, throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Northern Africa tribes.
Transgender individuals have also been using facilities of the gender that they identify with since ancient times and it has been a non issue. There are no reported statistics of a transgender person preying on another human being to harm them.
We must remember that we will continue to have laws in place that charge and convict someone found guilty of sexually harming someone.
If as a society we are truly concerned about protecting our loved ones from being victims of a sexual assault it is imperative we educate ourselves to know who the predators really are from a factual/statistical basis.
Documentation from the University of Michigan Sexual Assault Prevention Center states sex offenders are disproportionally likely to be heterosexual men.
Heterosexual is defined as someone that is attracted to the opposite sex. Therefore, a heterosexual man is a man accepting of his gender assignment at birth (male) and is attracted to females.
Furthermore, according to the Center for Sex Offender Management, most sexual offenses are committed by someone the victim knows — either a family member, friend, intimate partner, or acquaintance.
When we understand these truths we can step back from a fear based approach and realize that the fear in this situation at hand is unfounded. We have enough real problems to deal with in life, why create ones that don’t exist?
Sincerely,
Lisa Goyette
Lake Orion