Starting with a roar

Sage Creek

The Sage Creek and Area Lions Club is officially up and running on its own after earning club charter status, which it celebrated on Nov. 1.

The club initially ran as a branch of the Riverside Lions in St. Vital while working to get to the 20-member mark which enables a branch to earn a club charter. With 20 members now, the club invites anyone interested in becoming involved to attend a meeting and get involved.

“We recognized there was a need, and that this area wasn’t well represented,” said Gérald Fontaine, the Sage Creek president, who lives in St. Pierre-Jolys, Man.

“This is a growing area, and there’s lots of new housing,” Fontaine added, noting the club has met with area organizations and stakeholders. “Membership is an ongoing process.”

For folks unfamiliar with Lions clubs, good citizenship lies at the heart of the international service organization, which also has a code of ethics and a set of objectives.

“If we see a need in the community, we try and fill that need,” Fontaine said in describing the club’s work, noting the Lions’ list of endeavours includes helping out with food banks, raising funds or supplies for disaster assistance, or helping people meet individual needs such as acquiring a wheelchair.

Sage Creek resident and zone chair Stanley Bryan said all the money raised by the club goes back into the community. A recent example is a Grey Cup ticket fundraiser that benefited the parent advisory council at École Sage Creek School, while another is a donation made to the Children’s Wish Foundation.

Member Lou Dumesnil said there’s an open invitation for people to come and check out the club, which meets regularly at 130 Sage Creek Blvd.

“People can come to one of our meetings, no strings attached,” said Dumesnil, who lives in Windsor Park, noting he’s been a Lions club member in different parts of the country for more than 20 years.

Fontaine, who served a term as a district governor between 2015 and 2016, said being part of the club is grounded in the fact it’s a collective effort.

“That’s how we work … it’s a team effort,” Fontaine said.

Bryan said the members are thankful to the sponsors of its recent charter night, which include local businesses and organizations.

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 gerryfontaine@gmail.com for more information about the Sage Creek and Area Lions Club.