The Poudre Valley Lions consist of members of the Fort
Collins community who volunteer part of their time for community service.
The Poudre Valley Lions is one of four Lions Clubs
in Fort Collins, which are members of the International
Association of Lions Clubs with more than 33,000 clubs worldwide, and with nearly
two million members.
The main thrust of our organization is sight conservation,
with the clubs of Colorado cooperatively providing eye care and glasses, funding the
Colorado Lions Eye Clinic at the CU Medical School in Denver, servicing the Colorado
Eye Bank by collecting and delivering eye donations to Denver, assisting in the annual
Health Fair, and with the Colorado Lions Camp for the disadvantaged near Colorado
Springs. Our clubs have also provided funds and equipment to the Poudre School district
for sight and hearing disabled, contributed to sight and hearing dogs and brought and
delivered large print Readers' Digests to local nursing homes.
The Poudre Valley Lions has, individually, provided
scholarships to local schools, supported other community services such as the Salvation
Army, the Blind Skiing Program and participated in the Lions' International Student
Exchange Program. Since its formation in 1965, the Poudre Valley Lions has:
constructed tables for the Campfire Girls
aided in renovation of the Halfway House
repainted and repaired the Humane Society's Animal
Shelter
supplied recorders for the listening program at the
Fort Collins Library sponsored Little League
Baseball
constructed the maze at Rollin Moore Park
fishing dock at City Park Lake
provides free coffee once yearly at the I 25 reststop
highway cleanup for the Highway Department on route
14 west from Ted's Place
To provide funds for all these activities, the Poudre Valley Lions conducts several fund raising campaigns. Some of these may be as simple as selling raffle tickets, others include an annual garage sale, an annual radio auction, the sale of mints and the sale of large coloring books in the Christmas season.
With the exception of the dollar per month contribution for the Colorado Lions Camp, individual members are not requested or required to provide donations for the activities we carry on. Donations are strictly up to the individual. Nor, should one join with the idea that membership will enhance his or her business significantly. That objective is not a purpose of this organization.
Initiation dues for new members are $30.00. Quarterly dues are $18.00. The Club meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7:00 a.m. at Le Peep's Grill, 4010 S. College Avenue. Present costs of meals are $5.00 per person. Meals are not required. An individual may pay $1.00 for coffee.
One objective of our club is to meet other community members, and to enjoy association with a diverse group that are active in common purpose of SERVICE. The club holds a number of social meetings such as spouses night, picnics and officers installation. We generally have a good time, with various selected speakers that serve to educate and inform about what is going on in the community. In Lionism, active participation can include numerous local and regional meetings, for instruction, officers' election and trips to regional and international meetings. Treasurer is Garry Bjorklund gbbjorklund@hotmail.com.
jjhanan@lamar.colostate.edu