The Hardscrabble Lions of Streator chartered as a club in the spring of 1999. Seven members of the sponsoring Streator Lions Club transferred to begin the new club. Membership began as, and continues to be, a mix of men and women believing in our motto, "We Serve." Responsibilities for meetings and projects are shared, so no one Lion has to do it all. The club's work is accomplished through cooperation, fun, and fellowship.
The Hardscrabble Lions Club has been a “Family Friendly” club long before International developed the concept. In fact, we were interviewed by Lions International about the benefits of “Family Friendly” clubs while they were putting the program together. We have even been featured in several International President’s videos delivering food baskets with our young ones to needy families at Thanksgiving. From our very existence we have had kids at our meetings. Moms and dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles have all brought them. We have a kid’s table and chairs, along with games and coloring books waiting for them at our meetings. They don’t distract us from our business and we enjoy having them. Moms and dads don’t have to decide who is staying home to watch the kids when we have a meeting, they both attend and they bring the kids along.
Projects are supported by the generous donations of the people and businesses of the Streatorland Community. Recognizing that membership in the International Association of Lions Clubs means a commitment to service beyond the local community, we combine our efforts with other Lions Clubs in the state of Illinois and internationally to provide for those less fortunate. In 2001, just two years after chartering, the Hardscrabble Lions spearheaded an effort to organize the Outdoor Fun Day, an event for the mentally and physically challenged children and adults of central Illinois. It was a joint effort of 21 Lions Clubs, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Weldon Springs State Recreation Area. We also became the first Model Club in District 1-K for Campaign SightFIRST II with a commitment of $10,000 to LCIF to help with our fight against preventable and reversible blindness. Most recently, we raised $24,000 to build a dog park at the James Street Recreation Area in Streator to represent our club's legacy to the community in recognition of the 100th Anniversary of Lions Clubs International.
The Hardscrabble Lions are very proud to be the home club of Past International Director, Walter R. "Bud" Wahl. We have also enjoyed two District Governors, the father and son team of Russ and Jason Artman.
Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.
