MOOSOMIN — The wheels are in motion for a new Lions Club to be formed in Moosomin. As Rob Hill of the Maryfield Lions Club pointed out, the plan to have two new clubs in the district came from the 5SKS District Governor Heather Versmeersch.
“One of the communities that was identified that’s large enough to have a Lions club, and doesn’t currently have one is Moosomin,” he said. “So that came in as a plan.”
Recruitment efforts officially began with an information meeting held on a recent Thursday evening. The magic number for membership is 20. After that threshold is reached, a charter can be applied for through Lions Clubs International. As of last week, the Lions already had eight people signed up for a club in Moosomin.
“Once we have the charter, then the club will continue to grow,” Hill said. “And we start with 20, because when we have 20, then the 20 can go and ask their friends and their spouses and their families to come and be part of the club.”
Even with the variety of service clubs already in existence in Moosomin, Hill says there’s still room for more.
“We talked to some of the members of those service clubs, and they’re okay with another service club coming in because they realize that they can’t provide all the service to the community that the community needs,” he explained.
With each service club having their niche, there’s plenty of space available for one more group to help lend a hand. An example of this that Hill noted was the Kinsmen fundraiser of Telemiracle, which Lions Clubs across the province also help support.
“They do fundraisers for the Telemiracle because they know that it helps people in their community,” Hill said.
The Lions have their dedicated projects, one example being the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides. The national charity empowers people with disabilities to navigate their world by providing guide dogs at no cost. So far, the LFCDG has matched over 3,000 Canadians living with a disability to a guide dog.
“There’s seven different kinds of dogs that they train there,” Hill said. “It’s the only one in North America that trains that many dogs for assistance to individuals with disabilities.”
Most common breeds are Labrador Retrievers, Standard Poodles (for people allergic to dogs), and Golden Retrievers. After a four- to eight-month training period, the dogs are matched in categories of Canine Vision, Hearing, Autism Assistance, Service, Seizure Response, Diabetes Alert, and Facility Support.
Hill was told of one young person who had a Diabetes Alert Dog Guide with her during a volleyball game.
“As she was playing, the dog triggered,” he said. “It wasn’t for her, it was for another player on the other team who didn’t know that they had diabetes.”
Individual clubs are autonomous and can decide for themselves if there is a particular activity or community cause they would choose to champion. But no matter how a club decides to help, Hill said one thing remains the same—“you get a really good feeling when you help somebody out.”
Anyone interested in learning more about joining the Moosomin Lions Club can contact Hill at rfhill@sasktel.net.