Lions help build a garden gate for school

Published 1:30 am Monday, May 25, 2026

Submitted by the Lions Club.

The elementary school garden fence project began with a call from Lara Hart — a friend and also an occupational therapist with the San Juan Island School District — asking whether the San Juan Lions Club, whose motto is “We Serve,” would consider helping build a fence behind the elementary school.

The Lions’ other motto is “Where there is a Need, there is a Lion.”

Hart had noticed that the raised garden beds behind the school were being damaged by deer and rabbits. While it may seem like “just a garden” or “just a fence,” she recognized it as something much more important for the children — a hands-on learning experience and outdoor classroom.

What started as a simple idea quickly grew into a meaningful community project.

This wasn’t just about helping this year’s students. It became something lasting — a project future students will continue to enjoy for years to come. Volunteers stepped forward from across the community, and two high school students even adopted the project as part of their own community service work, helping physically build the fence and fundraising with bake sales.

The Lions Club’s role was not necessarily digging post holes, but helping coordinate the effort and reaching out for donations to make the project possible.

After a few conversations, TAL Holdings, owner of Browne’s Home Center, stepped up in a big way by donating 100% of the materials needed for the fence.

Community members of all ages pitched in — school staff, volunteers, retirees, parents and even toddlers helping move raised beds and spread wood chips donated by Cattle Point Rock & Topsoil.

Local contractor Adrian Kilpatrick volunteered as lead contractor, helping guide the project and teach the high school students how to build a fence designed to last for decades.

Those same students once attended Friday Harbor Elementary themselves, and now they’ve become part of something future generations will see and enjoy — perhaps even showing their own children one day the garden fence they helped build.

In the end, this project became much more than just a fence. It became a true example of community coming together for local children and future generations.

As Lara Hart said: “This has been a big, multi-step project — materials were generously donated by Browne’s and the Lions Club has been amazing helping coordinate everything.

“TAL Corporate agreed with this project for the elementary school, as this is exactly what their mission statement proclaims. As we all know, talk is cheap, and it’s actions that really count!

“TAL’S mission statement on their website reads: ‘We Help Build Better Communities.’

“This serves as a guiding principle that drives our actions and decisions, ensuring that we are all working towards a common goal of making a positive impact in the communities we serve.”