While the White Bear Lake Lions Club bear has been asleep for 70 years, the members of the White Bear Lake Lions Club have actively been busy making footprints in the White Bear Lake Community through all of the club’s community service activities and fundraising projects.

However, it is now time for the bear to come out of hibernation and join the members of the White Bear Lake Lions Club in their many service and fundraising projects.

The White Bear Lake Lions Club was established February 22, 1945. The club is associated with Lions Clubs International, a worldwide service organization. Lions Clubs International has over 1.4 million members, in over 210 countries, with over 46,000 clubs. Lions Clubs International is listed as the number one largest Service Group in the world. There are eleven offi cial languages of Lions Clubs International.

Since the time the club was established, the club has been actively serving the community of White Bear Lake, District 5M6, Multiple District 5M and Lions Club International. The White Bear Lake Lions Club thanks the community for support-ing our many fundraising events over the years.

The fi rst project the club had, after being chartered in 1945, was to install lights at the high school football fi eld. Imagine 40 some members being able to raise enough money in 1945-1946 to install lights on a football fi eld. Since then we have been involved in numerous projects from the purchase of an ambulance for the community to putting AEDs in schools and other public places. The newest AED has just been purchased and is being placed in the White Bear Lake Emergency Food Shelf.

The WBL Lions Club also has a scholarship program and has awarded several scholarships over the years to deserving White Bear Lake Area High School Seniors. The club donates dictionar-ies to all third graders and thesauruses to all fi fth graders in the White Bear Lake School District. We help with school carnivals, recognize the Teacher of the Year and the Excellence Event. The club also has a Vision Program in the school district to help fund glasses for those children whose family cannot afford to purchase glasses. These are just a few of the things we do for the White Bear Lake Area School District.

Other areas of involvement include collecting used hearing aids and glasses. We are involved with the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation, Min-nesota Lions Hearing Foundation and the Min-nesota Lions Diabetes Foundation. Through these Foundations we help to fund research and clinics at the U of M in hearing, vision and diabetes.

Several of our Lions members serve on these Foundations now or have served on the different Foundations in the past. We are also involved with Can Do Canines, which provide service dogs to people with various degrees of handicaps. Some of the Can Do Canine dogs are in the White Bear Lake Area.

In 1999-2000 the Lions were instrumental in building a new building for the White Bear Area Emergency Food Shelf (WBAEFS) along with a grant from Lions Club International Foundation, community support and other Lions clubs in our Area. The club still makes a monthly contribution

to the WBAEFS. Some members also currently volunteer at the food shelf or are on the board of directors for the food shelf.

We have helped purchase several Lionmobiles, over the years, to help transport seniors to appointments. Two of our members actually drive the Lionmobile. We are also involved in the Lions HELP program, with several club members helping to perform tasks that local seniors no longer can do. Both of these programs are run through the White Bear Area Senior Program. We support each of these programs thru monthly donations.

Community Projects have involved a room at the new library that is named the Lion’s Den, the pavilion at Lakewood Hills Park, Lions Park, along with donations to the Arts Council, Historical Society and Lakeshore Players, Manitou Days and Marketfest. We also recognize our Police and Fire Departments annually at the end of May with a BBQ.

The WBL Lions Club has been very involved in the 5M6 District, having had 5 District Governors, Lions all Ken Swenson, Bob Wilson, Lynn Farley, Carol Farley and Paul Kowitz.

Recently the club established a 501C3 Foundation called the White Bear Lake Lions Club Foundation.

Again the White Bear Lake Lions Club says THANK YOU to the Community of White Bear Lake for supporting the White Bear Lake Lions Club in the past and THANK YOU for your continued support in the future.

Meet our bear!

Please come and see the White

Bear Lake Lions Club bear, located at

the White Bear Lake Armory, 2228 4th Street,

WBL. Please feel free to have your picture taken with

our bear and to let your children sit on the bear.

Special Lions Club Events!

Our Lions fundraisers involve the Bear Water Run, Annual Lions show, Marketfest parking and games and the concession stand at the South Campus Football fi eld.

Bear Water Run - September 12 at Ramsey County Beach

Annual Lions Show - March 10-12, 2016. Held at Central Middle School

Lions Lions building building footprints for footprints for 70 years in the 70 years in the White Bear Lake White Bear Lake communitycommunity

2228 4th St, White Bear Lake • (651) 426-5199 • whitebearlakelions.org

Eyeglasses and Hearing Aids EventPlease stop by and donate your used eye glasses and hearing aids

When: Thurs. July 16 & 23Where: WBL ArmoryTime: 6pm - 8:30pmBy the Lions’ Bear

All-American Bears Participating Nonprofi ts:

White Bear Lake Area Historical Society • Explore White Bear • White Bear Lake Lions ClubWhite Bear Area Emergency Food Shelf • White Bear Area YMCA • Lakeshore Players

Rotary Club of White Bear Lake • White Bear Lake Fire DepartmentWhite Bear Lake Area Youth Hockey Association

Look on page 11A to get your All-American

Bears Passport

CAMPAIGN SPONSORS

gifts • clothing • kids • home

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