O.K. Falls Lions Club
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O.K. Falls Lions Club |
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In the fall of 1979 the Keremeos Lions Club advertised in the Okanagan Falls Viewpoint that they were looking to form a Lions Club in Okanagan Falls. Lions Wendell Johnston and Gary Carlson as guiding Lions would be at the restaurant in the hotel to talk to anybody interested. Over the next few months they received enough interest to announce that a new Lions Club would be chartered. Gary Smallshaw was elected Charter President and Michael Livingstone elected Charter Secretary. Lions International issued a charter dated December 31, 1979. The official party was held on February 23, 1980 at the New Okanagan Falls Community Center. Visiting Lions from as far away as Moses Lake and Mt. Olie joined the new members of the Okanagan Falls Lions Club in celebrating their start to improving their community. The club started out small and with many successful projects improved their community. The playground in Kenyon Park, along with the sprinkler system made a major improvement to the park. The tables and chairs made a much-needed improvement in the new community center. And over the years the Lions have added many improvements like adding gymnastics equipment and other additions to the center. The success of the sprinkler system in Kenyon Park was duplicated when the sprinkler system in Lions Gardens was put in. The club has over the years supported students from OK Falls with bursaries, which started in 1984 with one bursary of $200.00. We currently assist three students further their education by giving out 3 $1000.00 Bursary’s per year. We have in the past supported the dry grad concept by sponsoring a student. That student would assist the club at its projects and we would sponsor his or her part of the dry grad. Over the years many children have benefited from the club's assistance to them in many ways We have sponsored children to Camp Winfield allowing handicapped children from OK Falls to attend Camp Winfield for one of their unforgettable camp outs. Parents from OK Falls have stayed at the Easter House in Vancouver while their sick or injured children attended the Children’s Hospital. The club has been able to pay for their stay at the Easter Seal House. There are wheel chair ramps in Okanagan Falls built by dedicated Lions when the need arose. In 1985 when Shuttleworth Creek flooded, the Lions Club with their 'can do' attitude brought out the shovels and spent the night sandbagging, helping to protect homes from the flooding. We serve hot breakfasts twice a month to the students at the Okanagan Falls Elementary School. Our practice at serving those breakfasts served in good stead when the Vasseux Fire of 2003 threatened our community. The Lions Club cooked and served 500 firefighters hot breakfasts for 2 weeks giving them a nutritious start to an arduous day on the fire line. The Okanagan Falls Elementary School has over the years received everything from playground equipment to computer programs from the club. Our Easter Egg hunt has been a phenomenal success with a park full of children and parents looking for the Easter Eggs the Easter Bunny dropped. Our Canada Day celebrations have worked out well, as have Halloween and Christmas parties for the children. Members of the Club are involved with Shuttleworth Place, which is a seniors subsidized housing complex. Helping Hands and Oliver Food Bank is another ongoing project.. A rough estimate of the amount of moneys that the Lions Club has raised and spent over the last 25 years, would be about 250 thousand dollars. The many fundraisers the club has done have raised this money. Raffles, Bingo’s, Casinos, Yard Sales, Eight men for a day draws, pancake breakfasts, wood from our Woodlot. Scow boat races, Beer gardens. Bars for events. Book sales. And the list goes on and on.
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