LIONS CLUB
A BRIEF HISTORY
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LIONS CLUB A BRIEF HISTORY |
The Placentia Lions Club was chartered on January 25, 1961 by
District Governor A.Jack Baker, at Morrissey's cocktail Lounge in
Placentia. The Club was sponsored by the St.. John's and Mount Pearl
Lions Clubs. The first President was Dr. Gregory Russell and the club
had a total membership of twenty-five lions.
The first project of the club was the establishing of a liasion
with the CNIB and for the past thirty years they have continued to do
their yearly collection in this area. The club has placed special
emphasis on sight conservation with such projects as providing
glasses to needy persons, sponsoring the Mobile Eye Clinic, and
assisting wherever possible in providing support to individuals with
special eye needs.
In 1962 under president Gordon Noseworthy the club purchased and
operated the first Ambulance in the area. This continued until 1979
when private enterprise took from the Lions Club.
Also, in 1962 the Lions Club became involved with the running of
the Placentia Intertown Regatta and in 1971 took over sponsorship of
the event. Another major happening of 1962 was the close association
with the former U.S. Naval Station led to the formation of the Real
Joy Program to aid needy families at Christmas time.
In 1965 the first Public speaking Contest was held, and this
project has continued over the years.
As they entered the Eighties, the Lions Manor Nursing Home and the
Youth Centre became the main stars of the club. The Lions Manor, as
well as several senior citizen cottages, are now serving the area
very well due to the efforts of the Lions Club. The Youth Centre also
became a reality and was used by the youth for a few years. Now it
serves the community as a Resource Center, providing books and
reference material on many topics. The center also has several new
computers with Internet access. In the nineties the club played a
major role in the construction of a new modern hospital, attached to
the Lions Manor. This hospital has new, up-to-date equipment and is
serving the area well.
Although they have always had major projects on the go, things like aid to fire victims, senior citizens, minor hockey, donations of equipment to the hospital and Red Cross, and world Lions Service Day projects have all been noteworthy contributions to our communities.
For ten years, between 1983 and 1993 the Placentia Lions Club was
involved in the "Citizen of the Year"
project. The purpose of this project was to recognize outstanding
citizens in the area served by Placentia Club.
These contributions to the community over the years has made the club one to be very proud of in the eyes of Lionism throughout the province . Through the support and the comradeship which they receive from belonging to Lions International they believe in the adage "It's great To Be A Lion" and makes them very proud of their motto "WE SERVE".
Today the Placentia Area Lions Club is actively involved in many worthwhile Lions projects on an ongoing basis. The president is Mr. Kevin Power from Placentia.
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 This
Page is part of a Historical and Cultural Web Site created
by students of Laval High School, Placentia, NFLD (A0B 2Y0)
.February, 2000. |
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