Melfort was once home to a thriving Lions Club and Lioness Club, and Lions International is hoping to bring that spirit back.
Both wound down operations more than 20 years ago as membership declined along with their service activities.
Membership Chair for Saskatchewan Beryl Bauer said the idea to restart a club is part of a wider idea by Lions International to reach 1.5 million members.
“Lions International has been stuck on 1.4 million members for a decade or more,” he said. “The more members there are, the more service that can be done. We looked at Melfort because Melfort was a great Lions Club that did a lot in their community and elsewhere.”
Bauer gave examples such as the Lions Spookorama, the Lions and Lioness participation in community bingos, the $40,000 contribution of the clubs to the ballpark in preparation for the 1988 Winter Games, support for the gun range, an elevator in the Northern Lights Palace, the Lioness support of an annual Secret Santa project, the Heritage suppers, the annual Donor’s Choice kickoff pancake breakfast, a cavalcade for diabetes that raised $38,000 in 2002, the “walk along” during the annual parade associated with the Summer Fair, supporting CNIB and Plus Industries, the Lioness purchasing a fetal heart monitor for the Melfort Hospital, support for the Crisis Intervention Center, the Diabetes Ed program at the hospital, the Lions Eye Bank the Parkland Hospital and Kerry Vickar Centre projects, and so much more.
Bauer recently made a trip to Melfort to connect with the community.
“I thought I’d just go to Melfort, meet with the mayor, and see if there was some interest,” he said. “I did find some from former members. They’re older, so they’re not necessarily wanting to start, but they did give me some names and contacts. Heck, one guy was ready to sign up already so I thought, ‘well, we’ll keep going.’”
Bauer said that he had discussions with Prairie North Co-op general manager Terry Trombley. Trombley told Bauer that the organization has incentives for employees for doing volunteer work and joining service clubs.
“There’s Lions’ dues of course to keep the organisation running so the Co-op is an example of a company that if their workers join the Lions Club they would subsidize their dues. That was just another impetus,” he explained.
Bauer said that Lions would make a great addition as a service club in Melfort. He said there will be no need for separate Lions and Lioness clubs as Lions International, in keeping with the times, went inclusive in 1987 and changed their constitution making Lions membership available to both males and females. In 1991, the Lioness club program started ending. Some Lioness clubs continued to operate on their own, but today if women want their own club, they set up a branch club of another Lions Club usually in the same community.
Bauer said women now make up almost 40 per cent of all Lions clubs. Both men and women are welcome if a new Melfort Lions club is established.
Bauer explained that Lions Club have changed. Clubs set their own agendas deciding on projects and activities they want to do, meet as often or as little as they want, (the Lions motto is “We Serve” not “We Meet”), and support a wide range of needs they want to support.
Often clubs have one signature project and some smaller ones as needs arise in the community.
“Watch for more information in the near future about how can learn more about a new club in Melfort and at least give it some consideration,” Bauer said. “You will have a great opportunity—if you are not part of a current organization in the community—to help meet community needs that could use a little more support, and give back to the community and the world you live in.”
He added that the Lions will fill a need in both the service club area and fundraising area.
“There is a gap in now for certain fundraising areas. There are some great clubs like Kinsmen and the Legion and so on, but Lions do different sort of activities and when there’s a need in the in the community such as in the hospital or food bank or something, we have the major causes, disaster relief, all of that kind of thing. There are areas that aren’t covered by current organizations that we would help fill the gap in Melfort,” Bauer said,
Only 20 members are needed to start a club. Bauer said several people have already agreed to join. Couples are welcome.
For more information about starting a Lions Club in Melfort contact Bauer at bbauer@sasktel.net or 306-231-998
