Lions, Kindergarten, and Community…OH MY!
“The people of the community are the reason we have an organization in the first place. Not only is our membership made up of great people in the community, but the support we receive allows us to help those in need. The community has always felt like an extended family and it can’t be overstated how much that feeling aids in motivating people to join together and help one another.”
That’s how Will Gracely, Vice President of the Larue Lions Club, describes the impact the Marion community has had on their organization. When you look at all the Lions’ have managed to accomplish since they were founded in 1949, it’s easy to understand why they enjoy so much community support. The original 24-member charter has had more than 400 members in their 68 years of community service.
Learn more about how the LaRue Lions Club has been a true champion for their village, county, and beyond.
They have:
–started LaRue Youth Baseball and were the lone sponsor for 24 years;
–co-sponsored getting kindergarten started in 1959;
–paid a year’s rent on a new office to help bring a new doctor to the village after a long-time doctor retired from practice in the 1970’s;
–purchased many pairs of glasses and eye exams for children and adults in our area;
–conducted eye screenings at kindergarten sign-up day for many years at LaRue School;
–ran the Eye Express for Marion County for 20+ years;
–donated $50/month to the LaRue United Methodist Church for two years to purchase supplies for the free community meal they prepared, as well as annually donating and preparing the meat for these meals;
–donated each year to the local churches of the community at Christmastime to supply needy families with clothing, food, and toys;
–delivered 70+ fruit baskets at Christmas to area seniors;
–helped several families who have come upon hard times by paying their utility bills for several months;
–conducted four blood drives in the village each year for the American Red Cross;
–purchased a basketball with a bell in it and a white cane for a blind Amish boy and purchased a laptop and two white canes for a vision-impaired boy in the community;
–built a new shade shelter at the LaRue Area Park and Pool, put a new roof on a shelter house, installed a basketball court, and purchased and installed new rims and nets at the park; and,
–installed new nets and rims at the old LaRue school playground.
Elgin Youth Football, Elgin Music Department, Elgin FFA, and LaRue Youth Athletic Association, the World War II Memorial in Marion, Central Ohio Diabetes Association, Marion County Society for the Handicapped, Central Ohio Eye Bank and Pilot Dogs have all received sponsorship from the LaRue Lions Club. And, they hold an annual golf tournament to raise money called The Greater LaRue Golf Outing.
We appreciate all that the LaRue Lions Club has done in the past, and can’t wait to see what they will do in the future!
#WeAreLaRue #WeAreLions
