Greendale
Wisconsin
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Greendale Lions Club
50 Years Of Lionism:
On November 10, 1955, a group of 27 Greendale men, under the sponsorship of the Cudahy Lions Club, received notice from Lions International that their request to form a club was accepted. A charter was granted on January 3, 1956, and the group assembled on February 18, 1956 to formally accept the charter. The presenter was Lion Clarence L. Sturm who, four years later, served as president of Lions International. The charter was accepted by Charles Bates, the club's first president.
That the objectives of Lionism, unselfish service to its community, were well carried out is well attested by the club's record. Help for the blind and the deaf, betterment of the community, improvement of the health and welfare of the citizenry, were among its goals then and continue to be today.
Among the early fund raising efforts was the staffing of a dunking booth at 4th of July celebrations. The objective was to expand the existing meeting place of several community groups, young and old, known to this day as the Youth Memorial Building. Materials purchased with those funds, plus much "sweat equity" accomplished the goal. For another 40 years thereafter, the club subsidized its operation and did many maintenance chores.
An annual Pancake Breakfast, begun on the Youth Memorial Building grounds in 1960, continues to this day, currently in the high school multi-purpose room. That fund raiser supported the Lions Quest program in the schools for many years, and currently helps provide college scholarships.
Ever since that first dunking booth, the Lions have maintained a presence at 4th of July and Village Days celebrations. Early staffing of amusements games on the high school grounds has evolved into the current well-provisioned beer garden adjacent to the Village Gazebo.Sales, there, of food and refreshments, along with a raffle and Rummage on the Green, has become the club's main source of funds to support humanitarian efforts.
At the state and international level, contributions totaling $10,000 go regularly to LCIF, the Wisconsin Lions Foundation, Leader Dogs, various institutions for the blind and deaf, Diabetes Awareness and Parkinson's Disease.
Locally, $6,000 is allotted for college scholarships, and another $3,000 supports other youth-related activities. An additional $3,000 to $5,000 subsidizes various community services such as the library, Public Celebrations Committee, concerts, gazebo maintenance and one-time special projects like outfitting ambulances and purchasing defibrillators, to name a few.
The longest running service project is the annual Easter Egg Hunt, dating back to 1965. Other projects over the years included installation of play equipment in Lions Park, participation with Lenscrafters in free vision screenings and conducting outings for the blind. In 1991, Lion Gorden VonGonten convinced the Lions International Foundation to provide a $60,000 grant for renovations to the local Center for Blind and Visually Impaired Children.
The most recent, and most visible, service project was construction of the Village Gazebo in 1995. Lion Bob Drews got the ball rolling by enlisting other civic groups to join in a fund drive, after which many Lions participated in design, carpentry, roofing electrical work and painting of the structure.
The club has had a roster of about 60 members through most of its existence. During that time, five members have been awarded Melvin Jones fellowships for their exceptional service to Lionism.
The Greendale Lions Club….a real jewel of an organization in its golden year. It's a club with a proud history and a promising future.
On November 10, 1955, a group of 27 Greendale men, under the sponsorship of the Cudahy Lions Club, received notice from Lions International that their request to form a club was accepted. A charter was granted on January 3, 1956, and the group assembled on February 18, 1956 to formally accept the charter. The presenter was Lion Clarence L. Sturm who, four years later, served as president of Lions International. The charter was accepted by Charles Bates, the club's first president.
That the objectives of Lionism, unselfish service to its community, were well carried out is well attested by the club's record. Help for the blind and the deaf, betterment of the community, improvement of the health and welfare of the citizenry, were among its goals then and continue to be today.
Among the early fund raising efforts was the staffing of a dunking booth at 4th of July celebrations. The objective was to expand the existing meeting place of several community groups, young and old, known to this day as the Youth Memorial Building. Materials purchased with those funds, plus much "sweat equity" accomplished the goal. For another 40 years thereafter, the club subsidized its operation and did many maintenance chores.
An annual Pancake Breakfast, begun on the Youth Memorial Building grounds in 1960, continues to this day, currently in the high school multi-purpose room. That fund raiser supported the Lions Quest program in the schools for many years, and currently helps provide college scholarships.
Ever since that first dunking booth, the Lions have maintained a presence at 4th of July and Village Days celebrations. Early staffing of amusements games on the high school grounds has evolved into the current well-provisioned beer garden adjacent to the Village Gazebo.Sales, there, of food and refreshments, along with a raffle and Rummage on the Green, has become the club's main source of funds to support humanitarian efforts.
At the state and international level, contributions totaling $10,000 go regularly to LCIF, the Wisconsin Lions Foundation, Leader Dogs, various institutions for the blind and deaf, Diabetes Awareness and Parkinson's Disease.
Locally, $6,000 is allotted for college scholarships, and another $3,000 supports other youth-related activities. An additional $3,000 to $5,000 subsidizes various community services such as the library, Public Celebrations Committee, concerts, gazebo maintenance and one-time special projects like outfitting ambulances and purchasing defibrillators, to name a few.
The longest running service project is the annual Easter Egg Hunt, dating back to 1965. Other projects over the years included installation of play equipment in Lions Park, participation with Lenscrafters in free vision screenings and conducting outings for the blind. In 1991, Lion Gorden VonGonten convinced the Lions International Foundation to provide a $60,000 grant for renovations to the local Center for Blind and Visually Impaired Children.
The most recent, and most visible, service project was construction of the Village Gazebo in 1995. Lion Bob Drews got the ball rolling by enlisting other civic groups to join in a fund drive, after which many Lions participated in design, carpentry, roofing electrical work and painting of the structure.
The club has had a roster of about 60 members through most of its existence. During that time, five members have been awarded Melvin Jones fellowships for their exceptional service to Lionism.
The Greendale Lions Club….a real jewel of an organization in its golden year. It's a club with a proud history and a promising future.