Established in 1962 the Ryley Lions club is a group of community-minded volunteers that serve the needs of the Ryley community. Our efforts are directed towards improving and assisting the facilities of the Village as well as supporting other organizations within the community.
Our two major annual fund raisers are the Mother’s Day Brunch and the Community Birthday Calendar. The first Brunch was held in 1999 and this function has become a very important social and fundraising event for Ryley and district. This year the majority of the proceeds were forwarded to the Lions of Alberta Foundation which has amassed a fund of over $300 000 to assist the victims of the Fort McMurray fire victims. These funds have come from Lions clubs across Canada so it shows Lions commitment to our motto; We Serve.
The Birthday calendar now in its 37th year, is a fun birthday reminder as well as providing advertisers with an inexpensive way to promote their business in over 200 locations on a daily basis.
The Ryley Lions club has long been involved with the planning, construction and support of the Community Centre. In the early eighties our club held weekly bingos to raise funds for a new hall. Since our initial donation of $50 000 we have donated over two hundred thousand dollars to the Centre for operations and improvements.
Support of other organizations is also very important to us. The Beaver Heritage and Society and the Curling Club have been the recipients of substantial donations to assist in their operations and improvements. The climbing wall at the pool and our recent donation of $4500 to the pool are examples of this. We also plan to purchase the six monitors required for the on ice cameras at the Curling rink. Gaming funds from Casino are a large part of our resources but since they only come along every three or four years, careful planning is required to make the best use of these funds.
The youth of our School and community are also very important to us. Each year the Grads receive a parting gift from our club; high school students who apply for our Legacy Scholarship receive assistance for their post secondary schooling; students assist us with our Mother’s Day Brunch; grade one students at Holden School receive a Project Pride Canadian flag; sports teams and dance groups have received financial support.
Future projects include the construction of a Centennial Flag Display near the Lions Gazebo to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Lions in 2017. We also hope to partner with the Village once again to add more playground equipment to the Sports Grounds Playground.
Vision projects have long been the focus of Lions Clubs worldwide. These programs are primarily associated with eye disease prevention, vision corrective programs and Dog guide programs. Our Lions club has long been a supporter of the Lions Foundation of Canada Dogguide School in Oakville, ON., the Lions Eye Bank and our club has collected thousands of pairs of used eyeglasses for recycling and distribution in developing countries.
It is unfortunate that the Lions Club is viewed as a Seniors club when in reality anyone man or woman over 18 is eligible to become a member. We encourage to find out more about our club and consider becoming part of the largest service organization in the world.
Meeting are held every 2nd and 4th Thursday from September to June.
Contact Andre Nimchuk at (780)663-2444 for more information or at email: asnimchuk@mcsnet.ca