For the first time in more than a decade, Melfort has a Lions Club.
Lions Club International has accepted a charter for a reborn club in the community. The Melfort club met for the first time on Wednesday, July 9 at the Melfort Seniors’ Place.
Lions Membership Chair for Saskatchewan Beryl Bauer was pleased to see all the work paid off.
“We got the result (we wanted),” Bauer said.
Melfort once had a Lions and a Lioness Club. The latter shut down after women were welcomed into the Lions Club in the late ’90s and early 2000s, while the former ceased operations in 2011.
A total of 21 members signed up in May and at an information night in June. They needed a minimum of 20 to reform the club.
The new executive for the Melfort Lions Club is Lorana McComber as President, Kevin Burroughs is the secretary and the treasurer is Rayan Humilowich.
Bauer said that Lions are known as Knights of the Blind, they set up and support the Lions Eye Bank which does cornea transplants in Regina and Saskatoon, they run a Diabetes Camp every summer for Type 1 diabetics, they have a Foundation that helps with disaster relief such as the wildfires in northern Saskatchewan ($20,700 since June 5th), and more.
“Lions are all about service mainly to the community they’re in, but also on the broader world, so the Melfort Lions Club would be one of the clubs contributing to helping the wildfire evacuees,” Bauer said.
He explained that the Lions Club was still helping Beauval wildfire evacuees in Saskatoon.
The Lions have eight main causes they support including childhood cancer, diabetes, disaster relief, environment, humanitarian needs, hunger, vision and youth.
The Lions International Convention is currently being held in Florida, and Bauer said they may add mental health as a ninth main cause to the list.
Bauer said the Lions will offer a lot to Melfort as a revived service club.
“We work with youth, we work with diabetics, … food banks is a big emphasis of ours. We have a breakfast for learning program in many schools sponsored by Lions,” Bauer said.
Their first fundraiser was at the Melfort Exhibition on July 18, 19 and 20 where they sold Mega Cash tickets.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
