Sage Creek and Area Lions Club has a busy first year

Sage Creek

St. Vital

As the summer moves along, one local Lions club is preparing to take a break on June 30 after its first season in operation.

The Sage Creek and Area Lions Club celebrated earning charter status last November, having initially ran as a branch of the Riverside Lions in St. Vital while working to get to the 20-member mark that enabled it to earn a club charter.

And since late last year, club members have been busy with numerous activities in southeast Winnipeg — many of which are community-focused and of a fundraising nature.

“It’s been a pretty good year,” said club member Gérald Fontaine, who lives in St. Pierre-Jolys, Man. “It’s been a busy time for some of our members.”

The club’s fundraising activities have included contributions to the parent advisory councils of two schools in Sage Creek — École Mazina-Giizhik and École Sage Creek School — for their respective playground projects.

Other fundraising beneficiaries include the Christmas Cheer Board and CancerCare Manitoba, and members are also undertaking a Grey Cup fundraiser. In general, visitors to shopping centres across the city this summer might encounter members selling tickets for different causes along the way.

“We also held a bud, spud, and steak fundraiser on May 9,” Fontaine said, noting the club’s current membership is around 22. “In total, we sold 61 plates, and we’d like to give a big thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to the silent auction. We were very happy with that.”

On May 16, the club hosted a similarly successful event at 130 Sage Creek Blvd., where members gather on a regular basis.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their support this season,” Fontaine added.

Sage Creek resident and club member Sherry Hunt, who co-founded the club with her partner, Stan Bryan, is pleased with its engagement with the community so far — and she emphasized new members are always welcome.

“It’s been very good, we’ve been very active,” Hunt said. “We’ve been selling tickets, which keeps us busy, as well as holding different events, including two pancake breakfasts … We’ve picked up a couple of new members, and we’re always looking for more people. Some people can’t come to meetings all the time, which we understand.”

Hunt, who hails from England, said one common goal that connects and unites club members is the desire to give back to the community.

“With our outreach efforts, we reach lots of people, both kids and grown-ups,” she said.

The club holds general meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, except for June and July. Executive meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month.

As of January 2020, Lions Clubs International had more than 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members around the world.

Email lion_stan@outlook.com or lionsherry@outlook.com for more information.