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Friday, February 24, 2006
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Lions look for people to aid Brainerd club receives $50,000 donation to benefit youths with eye problems Editor The Brainerd Lions Club is trying to increase its roar.
At a time when many civic organizations are begging for donations, the Lions Club here is trying to find youths who need the club's help.
John Person, Lions president, announced Wednesday that an anonymous donor had given the club $50,000 to benefit Brainerd youths with eye problems.
"We want to help somebody," Person said. "We need to know who's out there (with eye needs)."
Lions Club International, with nearly 1.35 million members in 197 countries and geographic areas, is best known for its work in eyesight conservation. Among other things, the Lions collect and recycle eyeglasses for distribution in developing countries. They also have a leader dog program that has helped many.
The $50,000 donation might be the biggest news for the Brainerd Lions Club since it was founded in 1921.
Person, a Brainerd attorney, remembers peak membership hit 66 in 1975 when he joined. Now the club roster is down to 21 members. Average attendance is about 10 members a meeting.
Members attribute the declining membership to attrition, the fact that both spouses in a family are usually working now and their own help in developing other Lions Clubs in the lakes area. Person points to the birth of Lions Clubs in Baxter, Nisswa, Merrifield, Bay Lake and Pillager, for instance.
While there are many civic clubs in Brainerd, the Lions Clubs in these outlying communities often are the biggest or only organizations in those towns. Internationally, there are about 45,000 Lions Clubs.
The Lions members, gathered Wednesday night at the Log Cabin Restaurant for one of their two monthly meetings, also note struggling times for other clubs. The Elks and Moose have moved together in the Moose Lodge building. And the VFW and American Legion have announced their intention to remain separate organizations but relocate under the same roof.
"Membership in service clubs across America is becoming an issue," said member David Kaul.
The bulk of the Brainerd Lions Club's treasury comes from the charitable gambling it operates at two downtown bars, the Pit Stop and O'Leary's Irish Pub.
Most of the charitable gambling money helps fund the scholarships the Lions sponsor at Central Lakes College.
Diane Scearcy, executive director of the CLC Foundation, outlined how the Lions have provided scholarships to an average of 20 students each year since 1990.
These scholarships are unique in that they are awarded to Brainerd students who are identified as at-risk students by school staffers in the junior high. The students are told if they remain in school and stay drug-free they will receive the scholarships. The Brainerd Lions Incentive Scholarships amount to a full ride as they cover what other financial aid won't.
"You're giving these students who might not have a chance otherwise an opportunity to go to a four-year college or complete a technical program here," Scearcy said. "I talk to people around the state and they marvel at how we do this. We may be the only one around doing this."
Members noted at the club meeting that they may be forced to limit the number of scholarships, thanks to a double whammy from the state. State taxes on the charitable gambling have cut into the total outlay at the same time it has become more expensive to attend CLC because of tuition increases.
The Brainerd Lions Club also has a variety of other projects, including the Lions Park in Buffalo Hills and Camp Vanasek in Baxter. And charitable grants have gone to organizations ranging from the American Association of University Women to Youth as Resources.
Lions Club International adopted its emphasis on eyesight at its 1925 international convention when Helen Keller challenged members to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness."
The Brainerd club has only knights these days. No women members belong to the club, although over the years there have been women members.
Eyesight isn't the only focus. Jack Heule, a member of the Bay Lake Lions Club, spoke about the development of the Lions Children's Hearing Center at the University of Minnesota.
The Brainerd Lions Club meets at 5:30 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at the Log Cabin Restaurant.
ROY MILLER can be reached at roy.miller@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5855.
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