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Annual donations to Morrison Little League, Morrison Softball, Morrison Boy Scouts, support with other groups for Boys State scholarships, Helping Hand, and Odell Public Library. In addition donations are made to American Diabetes Association, Camp Lions, Lions of Illinois Foundation, Center for Sight and Hearing, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Eversight - (Illinois Eye Bank), and Leader Dogs for the Blind. An annual donation is also made to Lions of Illinois Foundation for low vision screening. Low vision screening is a program available for students in grades K-12 and are referred by Special Education Staff employed by the Illinois Board of Education. The Foundation is in partnership with Spectrios Institute for Low Vision, the Illinois College of Optometry, and the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind in providing a free comprehensive visual evaluation to the students. Exams are performed by licensed optometrists that travel to screening locations throughout the state. The program provides the visually impaired student with optical tools and training necessary to help prevent further vision loss or even blindness. It helps preserve what sight the student may have left.
Two $1,000 scholarships are awarded each year to Morrison High School graduates.
Reimbursement on a yearly basis to the CGH Health Foundation for cost of eyeglasses for children in the Morrison area
Financial assistance to needy Morrison area residents for eyeglasses and hearing aids.
Members donate cash, canned goods, and paper products to the Morrison Food Pantry on a monthly basis.
Members donate caps, scarves, and mittens to the Morrison Schools for distribution by teachers and nurses to students who may have forgotten such items or to students when a need is noted.
Adopt a Highway - cleaning a one mile stretch of Highway 30 east of Morrison
The Club purchased a reader/magnification system including the television. The Club has partnered with Odell Public Library where it will be stored and if anyone in the community has a need for it, you may contact any Lions Club member or the Library. A lending agreement will be signed and the machine may be used for as long as the need exists at no charge.
Unlock Your Heart - this is a recycling program - donate your old keys you no longer use - steel, brass, aluminum and tin keys can be recycled. Keys are forwarded to Lions of Illinois Foundation where they are sold for the "scrap" and the funds received further help support vision and hearing programs - specifically helps support infant vision and hearing screening programs. Look for containers - the local Morrison True Value store welcomes the project and will be helping collection efforts by dropping keys that are not correct or being used in the container.
Morrison area Annual Lions Recycle Day was started as a service project in September, 2018. This project is held annually in April and close to "Earth Day - April 22" at the Whiteside County Fairgrounds.
To celebrate 75 years, Morrison Lions Club members voted to build a 24' x 32' picnic shelter pavilion at the new Sports Complex. Boy Scout Nick Kaufman partnered with the club and was involved with raising funds (approximately $16,000) for the structure and also being involved with concrete work and finishing the site after the structure was erected. The Wick structure built by Wick employees, is guaranteed for 40 years and to withstand high winds and heavy snow loads. The structure with an ivory colored roof, tan peaks, posts, and ceiling is bird proof and blends with the buildings already at the complex. It is another way of keeping our motto "WE SERVE". Additional monies raised above the cost of the structure was used to purchase benches, picnic tables for the pavilion, waste receptacle, display board, and landscaping. An outside water fountain was also placed at the concession stand. A formal dedication of the pavilion was held on Sunday afternoon, May 31, 2015.
A memorial from the family of the late Vivian Tenboer was given to the Lions Club. Members voted to use the memorial for the purchase of a needed Otoscope (an instrument used for looking into ears). Mrs. Tenboer had been a long time bus driver for the Morrison Schools. The presentation was done in May, 2015.
To honor Lions International 100 year Centennial Celebration in 2017, Morrison Lions Club members voted to improve the pavilion at French Creek Park as a Legacy Project. A much needed new metal roof has been installed and some minor repairs and paint will be completed in the spring. An additional part of this Legacy Project was the installation of a basketball hoop at the southeast corner of the parking lot. As Lions begin the second 100 years, we are bringing diabetes, a leading cause of blindness, to the forefront. Hence we hope the young, the not so young and the old will make use of the hoop and exercise which helps control diabetes. Enjoy this nice area to shoot some baskets or a pickup game!
Morrison Lions Club was involved with the establishment of Morrison Rockwood State Park during the 1970’s and 1980’s which took several years to complete. Our Lions Club since that time has continued making improvements at the park by installing flag poles and raising funds for the Lions aged and handicapped fishing pier which became a reality in 1984. In 2012, Lions replaced the pier’s wooden shake roof with a metal roof and refurbished the donor list display. Minor repairs have been done at various times since the roof was replaced.
Club members noticed this past summer that the pier was in need of a major overhaul. Lion Bob Smith coordinated complying with a State required approval process with the Rockwood Park superintendent, Drew Fehrenbacher, to begin the work. A major concern was safely removing the old stain through power washing and keeping as much of the old stain out of the lake as possible. The work group of Lions Darlene Smith, Ken Jansma, Jim Winslow, and Bob Smith devised a tarp and tub system along with water pumps to accomplish this portion of the project which worked out well. Lion Winslow provide some helpful tools for removing the old nails and a “deck wrecker” to remove old boards. Many floor boards were replaced and new wooden handrails installed as well as applying a fresh coat of stain. The group accomplished the work over several work days with the Lions Club covering the cost of the repairs. Now the much-used pier is in great shape!
The Morrison Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for the improved fishing pier on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 11 a.m.
Left-to-right are Lions Bob Smith, Ken Jansma, Darlene Smith, Jim Ridley, Martha Kophamer, Bob Countryman, Flora Stralow, Jim Blakemore, and Jim Winslow; Chamber of Commerce President Tiffany Tipton, members Pam Pfister and Mark Musselman. Lion Brian Melton was the photographer.
The Lions members enjoy having fun and participating in service projects throughout the year. We invite anyone interested in knowing more about what Lions do, to visit our monthly meetings on the first and third Tuesday at noon at Happy Joe’s Pizza. Our motto is “WE SERVE.” An interesting and informative program is presented on the first Tuesday meeting dates. Business meetings are on the third Tuesday. More information is available by visiting our website at www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/morrisonil/contact.php.
