If you are downtown Ashland on May 19th , plan on stopping for a
brat, hot off the grill. The Ashland Lions Club will be setting up
in front of the Army Navy Store and firing up their fundraising operation.
The proceeds from this sale will be donated to the Faith In Action program.
Known internationally for working to end preventable blindness, Lions clubs
participate in a wide variety of projects important to their local
communities. The Ashland chapter provides diabetes awareness
screenings in our community, as well as running the glaucoma screening at
the Senior Expo each year. 1700 pairs of eyeglasses were brought in last
year through their eyeglass recycling program. The club also works with a
local eye doctor to assist community members that are in need of
eyeglasses but do not have the funds to buy them. A hearing aid recycling
program is also in place. Local victims of catastrophe can turn to the Lions
for emergency funds.
The delivery of donated eyes to Madison is a special project for the
Ashland club. When a person in the community passes away who has indicated
he/she would like their eyes to be harvested for donation, the chapter
is contacted immediately. Trained nurses from the local chapter
pick up the donated eyes and deliver them to Lions members in the Park Falls
area, and through a relay system the eyes are delivered to Madison
as quickly as possible. The local members have had the opportunity to meet
the recipient of one of these eye donations. The gratitude of this person
for the vision he now has makes such projects worthwhile to those
involved.
The Ashland group has also put a lot of work and money into the Central
Railyard Park. They purchased two playground structures for the new park.
This summer the club will be installing two handicapped accessible swings as
well as a water fountain. Over the past three years the club has donated
$45,000 worth of work and equipment to this park alone.
The group supports many local causes by financial donations including the
Food Shelf, the D.A.R.E drug awareness program, and Faith In
Action-Ashland County. They also have a Kid Christmas Shopping Program in
which 30 local children from underprivileged situations are taken
shopping. Each child can pick out gifts for their family members. The
kids and club members meet afterwards to wrap the presents and have a
party. The club members buy a present for the child as well.
The Ashland Lions send funds each year to the state organization to support
statewide projects. One of their very successful endeavors is Wisconsin
Lions Camp serving physically and mentally disabled
children in Rosholt, Wisconsin. The camp provides an enjoyable, safe, and
memorable camping experience for many special needs youth.
Another broader Lions effort is the Leader Dog School in Rochester,
Michigan. Through the local Bowling for the Blind campaign, school
children collect pledges for a yearly bowling event. This money is used to
support the school which provides training for deaf and blind people in
working with their new guide dogs. The actual cost of raising a leader dog
from puppy through completed training with its master is
$39,000, so these funds are always needed.
How does the club raise the funds needed to do all this good work? The local
chapter has many fundraisers throughout the year with 80% of the proceeds
going back into local projects. They hold several Brat and Hot Dog Feeds
throughout the year, as well as an annual 4th of July cookout on the
Courthouse lawn. The Bay Days food booth that they have each summer is one
of the main fundraisers. They hold a few raffles each year
as well.
To make this all happen, they meet twice a month. The members enjoy
fellowship as they work together on worthwhile community service. Their
members are a cross section of the Ashland community and each member brings
something new to the club. Membership is open. We would like to thank the
local chapter for all it does for the community and for its support of Faith
In Action-Ashland County.
If you have any questions about the Ashland Lions Club or its programs,
please call Greg Tobisch, club president, at 682-4504.