Club News - September 2022

In Illinois, the Buckley, Ashkum, and Onarga Lions Clubs combined to sponsor a fundraiser featuring a dueling piano group. Proceeds went to the Seeing Eye Dog Program.

The Rutherford College Lions in North Carolina built two Blessing Boxes and placed one at Connelly Springs Town Hall and one at Rutherford College Town Hall. They keep them stocked with non-perishable food items. The Lions also partner with local food banks at two churches where members help with food supplies.

Cucamonga District Host Lions, with Lion Vivian Shiffmanmka, “The Basket Queen" at the helm, provided 625 Easter baskets to low-income students at Los Amigos Elementary School in California.

The Noblesville Lions Club in Indiana hosted an Information Open House on a Wednesday evening at a local café to share news about their club with the community.

The Crescenta Valley Lions Club in California was awarded a grant by the California Lions Club to replenish the community garden at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church. Since the development of the garden in 2012 the CV Lions have worked with the St. Luke’s Food for Justice program to grow and provide fresh fruits and vegetables for those in need. CV Lions also hosted two workdays to kick off the garden project.

In Missouri, the Maryville Host and Pride Lions are joining with a diabetes educator to bring forth the importance of diabetes prevention and management. The educator and Lions members have created the Lions Diabetes Champions program to help get the word out. Eighteen Lions have stepped up to fight this pandemic by becoming Lions Diabetes Champions for the community.

The Owendale Lions Club in Michigan hosted its annual Corn Roast that began in 1969 when charter member Edmund Good Sr. came up with the idea. For 53 years, the Lions have hosted this fundraiser and invited everyone, including other Lions clubs, hoping for the chance to interact with different Lions Clubs in and out of District 11-D2. They served locally grown sweet corn, hot dogs, bratwurst, and beverages. A $10 donation helped the Lions support community projects.

Sunny skies and moderate temperatures persuaded the Aurora Noon Lions in Illinois to hold a rare outdoor luncheon at a garden. The nonprofit Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry hosted the Lions with box lunches at picnic tables in Marie’s Urban Farm Garden. On the property, 350 volunteers help grow 108 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers that go to the pantry for distribution to area residents.

In Michigan, Portage Lions Club members and Membership Chair Elvie Marfil presented an orientation program for new and long-time club members as well as prospective members, focusing on the club, its history, its makeup, and what it does in and for the community.

In Connecticut, the Hamden Lions and members of other District 23A clubs enjoyed a successful “fun”draiser where 27 Lions gathered to create their own sunflower painting guided by a local artist.

The Frostburg Lions Club in Maryland held its annual yard sale to benefit Camp Merrick in Nanjemoy. The 320-acre camp on the shores of the Potomac River in southern Maryland is owned and operated by the Lions Clubs of District 22-C and funded by Lions Clubs in the Washington, D.C., and Delmarva area, grants, private donations and rentals. The weeklong camping experience is for children ages 6 to 16 who are diagnosed diabetic type 1 and children who are hearing or visually impaired.

The Kiwanis, Rotary, Zonta, and Lions Clubs of Cheyenne teamed up to sponsor a two-day food drive to support three local food banks. In Wyoming, an estimated 86,000 residents struggle with food insecurity, and in Laramie County, approximately 11% of households struggle with food insecurity, with the number increasing to 14% for those households with children.

The Navarre community festival drew a crowd to the Navarre Community Center in Florida for live music, food, a pie auction, local vendors, displays, and a car show. The festival raised funds to help replace the roof on the Navarre Community Center, which is housed in a former grade school building owned by the Navarre Lions Club. The event was a joint effort between Agri-Trails Co-op, the Navarre Lions, and two 4-H clubs.

In New York, the Cuba Lions Club has supported the Chamberlain Park Playground Project with a US$2,000 donation to help purchase a swing for children with special needs. The purchase will be made possible through a matching grant received from the Brandel-Murphy Youth Foundation. The effort to update and replace Cuba’s Chamberlain Park Playground was spearheaded by the Cuba-Rushford Central School 2019 Lego Robotics Team.

The Stillwater Noon Lions Club in Oklahoma vision screened 36 Afghan adults and children who were resettled in Stillwater, and 87 Special Olympians at the Oklahoma State Games.

The robotics Team ECH, supported by the Asotin Lions in Washington, participated in the 2022 International Seaperch Challenge, finishing fourth in the mission course and seventh out of 61 teams competing in the middle school class. They have already decided to return next year and come back with a trophy. Their fall activities include a monthly STEM night and a mini-ROV workshop at the local Boys & Girls Club.

The Seal Beach Lions Club in California hosted their 6^th annual Sailing with the Blind and Visually Impaired event, partnering with the Seal Beach Yacht Club where the Lions hold their monthly meetings. This year’s event included 10 boats, both sailboats and powerboats, and 54 blind and visually impaired guests. Lions served them breakfast before going out on the boats, and then a "burger bash" when they came back to the yacht club. They had 32 volunteers, consisting of Lions, Yacht Club members, and Leos.

The Lions Club of Sarasota, Florida, bestowed one grant, three Helen Keller awards, and screened nearly 700 children heading back to school. UnidosNow, a Sarasota region non-profit organization to “elevate the quality of life of the growing Hispanic/Latino community through education” will utilize its US$5,000 Lions Club of Sarasota grant to provide scholarships to high school seniors. Eye Center South, Gulfcoast Eye Center, and University Eye Care doctors and staff were honored with the club’s Helen Keller award for providing needed eye exams to more than 1,000 Sarasota County residents with low incomes. In partnership with Hope4Communities at Day4Hope back-to-school events, Lion volunteers from seven clubs provided vision screenings for 674 children, medical and dental exams, personal care items, a haircut, a photo, a backpack filled with school supplies, and gift cards for clothes and shoes.

In Oregon, the Dalles Lions Club helped the Salvation Army and St. Vincent DePaul with their annual “Shop with a Hero” program. Heroes were from the local city police department, sheriff’s office, state patrol, and fire department. Fifty-seven students signed up and each was given a US$100 gift card, a bag of school supplies and a goody bag from the local Fred Meyer store.

The Narragansett, Rhode Island Lions celebrated the 50th anniversary of their Blessing of the Fleet, and a 10-mile road race with 2,940 registered runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes. Along with a three-day seafood festival and the traditional blessing in the commercial fishing port of Point Judith, the event is the Narragansett Lions’ biggest fundraiser of the year.

The Folsom City Host Lions in California honor their member, Lion PDG Don Ring of District 4C5, who received the Ambassador of Goodwill award.