I joined the Russell Lions Club in September 2019. I was 17, a
student Lion, and I didn't really know what I was walking into.
What I found surprised me. There was a club president, of course,
but you'd never have known it from the room. Everyone was equal.
Everyone was pushing toward the same thing: serving our community.
That feeling stuck with me.
Then I started to see what "serving" actually meant. I learned our
club runs a medical equipment program that loans out almost any
piece of equipment a family might need, including wheelchairs. A
wheelchair can cost well over $1,000, a real burden for a family
already going through enough. Through our program, that cost becomes
$0.
One moment I'll never forget: I was at the diabetes walk in Ottawa,
walking alongside a fellow Lion who lives with Type 1 diabetes. We
met a family whose child had a diabetic guide dog, a Lions guide
dog, red vest and all. They told us how much that dog had changed
their child's life, and that it hadn't cost them a thing. The Lions
had covered it.
That's when I understood Lions was something far bigger than I'd
realized, and I knew I wanted to be part of it.
Today, at 24, I'm proud and grateful to serve as your club
president.
My focus this year is simple: our members. Many of our members are
getting older, and if we don't welcome new faces, we risk losing the
ability to give back the way our community needs us to. I'm living
proof that the next generation is ready to step up, and I'd love for
many more to join me. Imagine what we could do for Russell and
surrounding area as a bigger, stronger club.
Here's the good news: you don't have to be a member to be part of
this. You can:
-
Donate today at
Donations@LionsRussell.com
-
Volunteer alongside us at an event
-
Buy a cash calendar or support one of our other fundraisers
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Join us as a member and help us grow
The Russell Lions can't give back to
this community without the community standing behind us. Thank you
for being part of it.
Yours in Lionism,
President
Lion William Menard
Russell Lions Club
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