The North Delta Lions Club have been heeding calls for help in Ladner since the Ladner Lions folded several years ago.
Now, the ND Lions are looking for help themselves, from Ladner residents interested in committing to community service.
Only three of the Lions who transferred from Ladner in 2014 remain in the 30-strong ND Lions and the club is hoping to attract men and women of any age to come aboard and continue the volunteer work that is aimed at supporting people and charitable organizations in need.
The Lions are encouraging locals to come to a regular business meeting at the Ladner Legion on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. Anyone who is interested in what Lions are all about and how you can become involved is invited to attend.
“Like service clubs around the world, our membership is aging and it’s a struggle to find new members interested in serving,” said ND Lions secretary Gary Kingston. “But the volunteer work can be very rewarding and the camaraderie is wonderful.
“The Lions International motto is ‘We Serve’ and, at a local level, we are keen to do that in any way we can. From simple things like a street clean up to organizing a parade and festival to raising money for organizations that do so much good in our community, there are always opportunities to make a difference.”
Lions International, a non-political service organization, has been around for more than 100 years and has 46,000 local clubs in more than 200 countries with a total membership of 1.4 million.
In Ladner, the Lions contribute to the South Delta Food Bank, OWL Society, the Boys and Girls Club and many other organizations. The club also awards $1,000 in scholarship money to Delta Secondary students and raises funds in Ladner through a Christmas Tree Chipping operation, serving pancake breakfasts at May Days and the Quilt Walk and Car Show and cooking burgers at the GVRD Landfill Open House.
While the pandemic curtailed many activities during the last 18 months, the club did manage to stage a very successful Easter egg drive-thru at Sungod Arena in April and is planning a Spooky Halloween drive-thru in October. It is also hoping to re-establish the Lions Family Day Parade and Festival, a 50-plus year institution in North Delta, in June after a pandemic-enforced two-year hiatus.
Some of these events can potentially be run in Ladner as well, so come and join us and make your input count.
