The Lewis Community Spouses' Club (LCSC) hosts their annual fundraiser, "A Night to Remember - Celebrating 100 Years of Camp Lewis" at the American Lake Conference Center, March 17, 2017.  Proceeds from this event help LCSC continue their history of giving away an average of over $20,000 a year to support military family scholarships and community grants.

The club selected 100 Years of Camp Lewis as their theme to coincide with Joint Bases Lewis-McChord's (JBLM) 100th anniversary.  "We felt the 100th anniversary theme gave us a great opportunity to highlight the role spouses' clubs have played in the base's history," said Tracy Harvey, the event chair.

LCSC is producing a commemorative catalog for the event with contributions from local writers and historians. Heidi Pierson, Curator at the Lewis Army Museum, is providing support with historic photos and period decorations from the museum's collection.

During the 1950s, both the Officer and Enlisted Wives clubs were very active at JBLM, providing social activities for their female members as well as opportunities for charitable works.  When the two groups merged in 2010, membership became more inclusive and the groups became the Lewis Community Spouses Club.  The club is now open to all spouses, male or female, of active-duty, Reserve, National Guard, and retired personnel of the Armed Forces; spouses of civilian employees of JBLM and spouses of Allied Armed Forces residing in the JBLM area and Gold Star spouses.

"Every Hand Helps" is the club moto.  April McClung, LCSC president said, "LCSC is dedicated to giving back. We volunteer for the Emergency Food Network, Santa's Castle, Patriots Landing, Fisher House, and we fundraise throughout the year to give back to local nonprofit organizations and groups through the community.  Some organizations we help are: the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Dog on Deployment, Wounded Warriors, Ainsley's Angels, Fort Lewis Family Member Scholarship Fund, and middle and high school sports."

In addition to their volunteer work, the club is a hub of social activities which provide a great way for spouses new to the area to make friends.  For newly, married Army spouse Kendall Dunn, the move across country to the Pacific Northwest away from family and friends was quite the culture shock.  Moving across the country was overwhelming to say the least. "As someone who has always found purpose and community through being surrounded by women, I was eager to find ways to get involved. The Lewis Community Spouses Club was the perfect way to do that, with opportunity for service, friendship and leadership opportunities. As a young spouse, it has been a way to find not just mentors but family; which is vital when yours is so far away. I really cannot adequately describe just how thankful I am for this group, I have already learned so much in such a short amount of time," she said.

Tickets for "A Night to Remember - Celebrating 100 Years of Camp Lewis," go on sale Jan. 1, 2017, and the club expects the event to sell out.

"A Night to Remember - Celebrating 100 Years of Camp Lewis," 6 p.m., March 17, 2017, American Lake Conference Center, 8085 NCO Beach Rd, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, $40, 920.341.5272, lewiscommunityspousesclub.ejoinme.org/2017Auction