pressnews . com . com Lion ’ s Roar • Friday , August 23 , 2024 Page 7
From the President : Where there ’ s a need , there ’ s a Lion
The Osseo Lions Club was formed by a group of businessmen in 1944 , wanting to serve the needs of their community .
In the almost 80 years since then , the Club has grown and been through many changes . I ’ d like to expand a little on who the Lions are today , and what we actually do within the Osseo community .
We are part of the Lions Club International organization , which has more than 1.3 million members worldwide , in 50,000 clubs from over 200 countries .
You will often see the Lions logo at city parks , ball fields , and on highways — once you start looking for the signs , you ’ ll find them everywhere you travel in North America and across the globe .
Lions Club International Foundation brings funds and volunteers in times of need — from disaster relief to distributing vaccines that have all but wiped out river blindness in children .
With a simple mission to serve , they provide humanitarian relief and grants to impact the health and wellbeing of communities everywhere .
As part of this much larger organization , the Osseo Lions are able to serve our immediate community every day .
Here in Minnesota , the Lions helped to create and fund the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank – now known as the Lions Gift of Sight at the University of Minnesota .
It is now a leading facility for corneal transplants and ophthalmology research , in addition to the eye bank .
A little history on this .. the Lions were tasked with becoming “ knights for the blind ” by none other than Helen Keller in 1925 when she spoke at the Lions
International Convention . Because of this , eyesight has been a core focus of the international organization — along with hearing , diabetes , childhood cancer , disaster relief , hunger and the environment .
Now , back to the Osseo club … what do the Osseo Lions actually do ? How do we serve ?
We raise funds through community events and charitable gambling ( have you pulled some tabs at Duffy ’ s recently ? If so , thank you ). The funds we receive are given back to the community through donations to local organizations and service projects .
In the 2023-24 fiscal year , the Osseo Lions donated more than $ 220,000 to nonprofit organizations , including the Osseo School District .
These funds focus on the needs of children , veterans and the disabled .
We have provided eye tests and glasses , assistive devices for hearing impaired and students with disabilities , help for families and veterans in need , support for students and families who are unhoused , as well as booster and activity clubs at local schools .
The club also collects eye glasses , and hearing aids to be refurbished and used for those who need them but can ’ t afford them . We collect and donate food and hygiene items to local food shelves throughout the year .
In addition to the Lions Roar each September , we host the Palm Sunday Pancake Breakfast each spring as well as a steak fry or two .
The food tent at the Inter- Marque car show in May is brought to you by the Osseo Lions .
At Tuesday night movies and music at Boerboom Park over the summer , you ’ ll find us selling popcorn and ice cream — Lion Ed , who emcees the events , also provides bad ( terrible ?) jokes at no charge .
For Halloween , you ’ ll find the Lions helping ghouls and superheroes cross the street as they parade up and down Central Avenue , trick-or-treating at the local businesses .
They then head over to the Community Center for more treats and goodies , with games and fun activities for the kiddos .
In December , we bring Santa to the park during the Osseo MiniDazzle . Santa also graciously attends the Lunch With Santa event at the Community Center the first Saturday in December .
Hosted by the Osseo Lions , the free lunch is provided for the kids , along with a goodie bag and picture with Santa .
You ’ ll find us bell ringing at Fleet Farm in December , as well as hanging Christmas lights for the city and putting up the Christmas Village at Boerboom Park . Whether it ’ s a big event or highway cleanup , we always seem to be up to something in Osseo .
The Lions Roar is a great time to celebrate this amazing community , and we are truly grateful for the continued support we receive form the city , businesses and members of the community . We are here , and able to do what we do , because of you !
We are always open to bring in new members who are looking to help us in our mission to serve .
The more members and ideas we have , the bigger impact we are able to make .
If you are interested , and want to have some fun with a great group of volunteers , please contact us on our website or in person at one of our events .
Also , please reach out if you know of a great cause or organization that we can support .
Where there is a need , there is a Lion ... and the Osseo Lions are proud to serve the needs of this community !
Thank you , Robin Kaehler Osseo Lions President