Club News - October 2022

The Bossier City Lions Club in Louisiana put on their 69^th Football Jamboree. It takes more than 500 volunteer hours to do this, bringing six area high school football teams together. Not only does the jamboree bring in funds to support the initiatives of the Bossier City Lions Club, but it also brings the community together for a night of high school football.

In Oregon, the Dalles Lions responded to a request for glasses from the Oregon Veterans Home. The Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation offered a box of 80 different pairs and Dalles Lions picked them up and delivered them to the Veterans Home.

In West Virginia, heavy rain flooded two counties affecting infrastructure and more than 100 homes. In response, the Lions of 29-I Disaster Relief Team joined other organizations to help residents remove mud and debris from their homes and property.

The Colts Neck Lions Club in New Jersey hosted their 28th Annual Pancake Breakfast, serving hundreds of patrons for just US$3-$5. Proceeds will help build a Braille Trail in the Monmouth County Parks, enabling the sight impaired to be in nature and identify their surroundings.

The Falmouth Maine Lions Club continued their project to park cars for sporting events at The Iris Network lot in Portland, Maine. The Lions park cars at about 100 games during the year, raising about US$70,000. Members of the National Federation for the Blind help by collecting the fees.

The Weymouth Lions Club in Massachusetts raised money by teaching tennis lessons to people from 10 to 99. Proceeds from the lessons went to pay for eyeglasses for students in the town schools and Massachusetts Lions Eye Research.

The Visalia Breakfast Lions of California made a US$1,000 donation to the Visalia Veterans Committee. The Visalia Veterans Committee is raising funds to restore the "WWII Greatest Generation" mural located just south of their town.

The McKeesport Lions Club in Pennsylvania concluded their concert season over the Labor Day weekend with a series of concerts. Although fireworks were cancelled because of earlier rain, thousands came out to enjoy ribs, barbecue, and other cookout favorites in the Lions Bandshell area of Renziehausen Park.

Lions from throughout District 23A Connecticut joined the Monroe Lions in celebrating the formal opening of a new playground called The Wolfe’s Den. Monroe Lion donated US$105,000 toward the park. Signs at the park not only carry the Lions logo but will also include a QR code which will route all inquiries to the district’s website. This will show input from various clubs in the entire District and be hyperlinked to other Lions websites.

More than 30 years ago a member of the Bowness Lions Club in Alberta, CAN, was integral in starting what is now an annual tradition, the Bowness Lions Stampede Pancake Breakfast and Parade. After a two-year Covid shutdown, they enthusiastically served pancakes, sausages, and an energizing renewal of community cohesion to several thousand people in July. In September, the Lions donned their aprons again to create a 'western-themed evening' for local seniors and their families, serving up pancakes, sausages and beans as well as toe-tapping entertainment. The event helped raise spirits and money for the Seniors Centre.

In Arkansas, the Van Buren Lions Club marked its 100^th anniversary with a Centennial Banquet, but also chose to partner with the City of Van Buren to construct the Van Buren Lions Club Mayor Gene Bell Park in town. The park will have a playground, benches, and picnic tables.

The Avon Grove Lions in Pennsylvania set up an information booth at the Canine Partners Fall Festival. The Lions handed out information about Lions, and books from the Avon Grove Lions Book Barn were given to children, in addition to lollipops from the Avon Grove High School Leos who assisted with the children’s games.

In New York, the Lockport Lions donated US $2500 and attended a Dining in the Dark event. Lions also participated in “Celebrate Community” in support of the "Lockport New Beginnings" youth mentoring program, supplying ice cream to the community, vendors, volunteers, and participating area clubs.

Members, family, and friends of the Portage Lions Club in Michigan participated in the 2022 My CureSearch Walk to raise funds for children’s cancer research. The club raised US$825.

The Lexington Lions Club in Kentucky proudly recognizes three generations in their club. Lion Charlie Gray became a Lion in May of 1968. Charlie's son, Jeff, joined Lions two years ago, and Lion Jeff's daughter, Alexis, became a Lion this year after working at the Lexington Lions Club Bluegrass Fair.

The Westerville Lions Club in Ohio partnered with the Green Havens Living facility in a successful recycling initiative. Lions took on the Bags into Benches project where plastic film is made into solid composite benches by Trex, and the community response was more than Lions imagined. They have donated 12 benches in their community.