Membership of the North Surrey Lions Club might be dwindling, but that does not stop the club from raising money for various charitable organizations in Surrey, Edward Hadgraft, club president, said.
The 14-member club raises funds for close to 30 charities throughout the year.
Saturday’s (Nov. 4) fundraiser at Donegal’s Irish House raised $1,000, which will go to its ongoing support of the Surrey Christmas Bureau and the Surrey North Delta Meals on Wheels.
The club sponsors a number of families every year through the Surrey Christmas Bureau. Hadgraft expects they will only be able to sponsor 12 families this year.
In previous years they sponsored close to 40 when they had more members.
The club raises funds for Surrey Food Bank, the Centre for Child Development, and the Surrey Schools breakfast program.
Depending on funding, they support individuals who approach the club asking for help. Hadgraft said this year, the club paid for braille training for two young girls who are blind.
They also award three Surrey students with scholarships every year. Over the past 20 years, the club has given over $140,000 in scholarship funds, Hadgraft said.
The club works with the Canadian Lions eyeglasses recycle centre to collect used eyeglasses and recycle them around the world. There are over 40 locations in Surrey where your used eyeglasses can be dropped.
The North Surrey Lions Club states on its website, we “stand by the Lions motto: ‘WE SERVE’, to support, donate and commit time and compassion to improve the local community.”
That is why Hadgraft first got involved over 30 years ago. He wanted to give back.
“I was pretty lucky when I came to this country,” Hadgraft said. He had moved to Canada in 1978 from the United Kingdom. “It’s been very good to me and I wanted to give back.”
He heard of the club through a friend and the rest was history, he said.
The club is always looking where the greatest needs are in Surrey and seeing if they can help, Rick Siebel, club treasurer, said.
“But the more people we have, the more things we can do, the more money being raised, and it stays mostly in the community,” Siebel said.
“We’re always looking to keep trying to help the people in our community,” Siebel said.
Outside of fundraisers, they often plan a group activity as well. A few weeks ago they went to a local pumpkin patch.
“We want to make it fun for the people that belong as well, so it’s not just work, work, work, work,” Siebel said. “We got to have a little fun.”
The club started in 1957 and is a part of Lions Clubs International. They meet on the first and third Tuesday of every month from September to June.
“You don’t have to dedicate your life to be a member, you put into it whatever time you want,” Hadgraft said.
To find out more about becoming a member, email the North Surrey Lions Club, nsurreylions@gmail.com.