Lion’s Club on par to help the community
by Melissa Martin
They come from different career paths and all walks of life, but the common thread all 40 members of the North Summit Lion’s Club (NSLC) share is a love of community and a desire to give back to the place they call home.
In an effort to raise the funds they need to give back to the community, the club will host its annual golf outing on Monday, June 28 at the StoneWater Golf Club.
After registration at 9 a.m., the event will have a shotgun start at 10 a.m. for a day of fun and camaraderie, says NSLC Vice President Vince Ventura.
Ventura says the golf outing is always one of the club’s largest fundraisers of the year – even last year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when event cancellations were the norm for organizations everywhere. Part of the reason the golf outing, as well as the club’s other fundraisers, have become so popular is that all proceeds benefit area charitable organizations, school children and individuals in northern Summit County in need of assistance.
According to Ventura, all 40 members of the North Summit chapter of Lion’s Club International (LCI) have one goal in mind – giving back to the community they call home.
“We reach out and give back on a continual basis because we believe it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
Ventura says the club asks each one of its members to gather a foursome for the event and members of the public are also invited. The outing is priced at $500 for a team of four or $125 per individual golfer. In addition to 18 holes of golf, the ticket price also includes a quarter-pound hotdog lunch and a steak dinner.
A 50/50 raffle will take place and other prizes will also be awarded, Ventura said.
The Lions Club is the world’s largest service club organization comprised of more than 1.4 million members. In 1925, Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness” and the Lions accepted. Sight programs remain one of The Lions Club’s defining causes.
The North Summit chapter is just one of LCI’s 46,000 community clubs worldwide. The organization strives to exemplify LCI’s Mission, “To empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions clubs.”
The name LIONS stands not only for fraternity, good fellowship, strength of character and purpose, but above all, its combination of L-I-O-N-S heralds to the country the true meaning of citizenship: Liberty, Intelligence, and Our Nation’s Safety.
The North Summit Lions Club is one of Northeast Ohio’s longest running Lions clubs, originating in 1932. Over the past 89 years, the organization has continually found ways to help individuals in the community through fundraising activities and other services. In doing so, the club has made great strides in supporting the community’s needs, which include youth programs, family support, humane endeavors and other assistance requests.
Ventura said that in addition to making sure any local student receives an eye exam and glasses as needed, the club also provides assistance to Northfield’s Emergency Assistance Center. They donate food to the assistance center, which then distributes the food to clients in need. Along with food donations, the NSLC provides monetary support on a quarterly basis to help the facility purchase additional food at a lower cost from the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank.
Among its charitable works, the club also supports the Nordonia Schools Foundation, the Knights Caring for Knights program offered through the Nordonia schools and more.
For more information on the NSLC golf outing or to purchase tickets, visit northsummitlions.org/fundraisers. ∞