Club Projects
Eye Glasses and Vision Screenings
SInce 1925, when Helen Keller challenged the Lions to be " Knights of the Blind," Lions across the nation have been in a crusade against blindness. The local Vergennes club offers assistance to families and children in need of eye glasses and provides vision screenings to local preschools and schools. Anyone with questions or seeking informaiton should reach out to vergenneslionsclub8@gmail.com . Used eyeglasses and hearing aids can be donated by placing them in the collection bin outside Kinney Drugs and Shaw's in Vergennes, Vermont. Annually, local Lions clubs collect hundreds if not thousands of glasses and hearing aids to be refurbished or recycled.
Hearing Aids
Another area that is a focus worldwide of Lions Clubs is supporting those with hearing challenges. If your family member needs assistance with the purchase of hearing aids or to be linked to services in your area for hearing impaired, please email us for more information at vergenneslionsclub8@gmail.com
Winter Fuel Assistance Funding
The Vergennes Lions Club raises funds which are turned over to local companies that provide fuel oil to residents. Combind with other donations, these funds are used to help local families in need with winter fuel bills. For more information email vergenneslionsclub8@gmail.com .
Scholarships for High School seniors
Annually, the Vergennes Lions Club awards four monetary scholarships to graduating seniors at Vergennes Union High Schools. Applications for these scholarships are available in the guidance office at VUHS and are awarded just prior to graduation. Lion Michael Davis used his scholarship to help fund his college degree at Vermont Technical College in their BS in Aviation Program.
Merry Mulch
For over twenty-five years, Vergennes Lions have gathered in the early morning hours of the first Saturday following the New Year and go around picking up discarded Christmas trees that residents leave by the curb. The trees are hauled to the City of Vergennes work area where they are chipped. This project saves hours of work and annually recycles between 170-200 trees.
Dictionaries for 3rd Graders
Each year the Vergennes Lions purchase wonderful dictionaries for all the students in the public and private schools in the school district. They go in and present them to the students and spend time helping them explore not only the words, but the lists of presidents, historic facts and information contained in the books. Each year the teachers and parents look forward to this special day.
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Food Drives & Support of Local Food Banks
Hunger doesn't take a holiday and neither do the Lions when it comes to meeting the needs of the local community. In the past five years, there has been an increasing need for food for families throughout the year. Annually the Vergennes Lions do Food From the Heart ( Food Drives) and give monetary donations to the local food banks to help fill in gaps.
Celebrating the Community
Celebrating the communities we live in is a part of being a Lion. Each year the Vergennes Lions Club, in partnership with other organizations, is involved with Memorial Day, Vergennes Day and this year will also contribute to the July fireworks. The annual chicken barbeques, popcorn sales and gatherings celebrating conversation and community are long standing traditions for the Vergennes Lions Club.
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TREX Plastic Recycling
Vergennes Lions Club participates in the TREX recycling program that provides a way for collected plastic to not only be recycled, but to avoid putting it in the landfill. The plastic is turned into benches which are donated to the community for use by the public. For more information on this wonderful environmental program email vergenneslionsclubs8@gmail.com
Meeting Local Needs
Vergennes Lions continue to define new ways to help support the communities they live in by making contributions to organizations and individuals with specific needs. They might include a project benefitting the community, purchasing a new piece of equipment, creating opportunities to link generations, or working with other organizations to accomplish long term goals. If you are curious, reach out to a Vergennes Lion or email vergenneslionsclub8@gmail.com
LEO Program
In 2023, the Vergennes Lions is launching a teen club in partnership . The Vergennes Leos will have their first meeting on March 1, 2023 at the Bixby Library from 3:15 - 4:30 and will focus on service projects benefitting the local community and goals set by Lions International. Membership is free and open to local teens ages 12-18. Membership forms and information can be obtained by emailing vergenneslionsclub8@gmail.com or Leo mentor Lion Mason Charlebois at mason.charlebois@gmail.com.
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Toys For Christmas
Every year, the Vergennes Lions work all year to collect new toys and gifts for local families to have during the holidays. Families come to a local location and are able to get gifts for their children. In addition, a second site provides gifts for children to be able to select and wrap a gift for their parents, guardian, or support person.
Memorial Tree
Planted in the park in Vergennes, the Memorial Tree is in honor of Fran Allo, who for decades was known as the Christmas lady. Singing and celebrating holidays the year round, Fran was noted for making needed gifts and items appear for children and adults alike. The Vergennes Lions Club, in partnership with the Vergennes Rotary, lights the tree for the season and passes out decorations that people can use to remember loved ones who are no longer with us. The donations collected from the tree decorations are turned into the gifts available for children to get free of charge for their family members.
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Speak Out Contest
The Vergennes Lions Club participates in the annual Lions Club speech contest where local teenagers in grades 9-12 ( public, private of home schooled) create a 5-7 minute speech on a theme. The teens present their speeches at a Lions Club meeting, where a winner is chosen to advance to the district level. In late April, the winners from the different districts face off for the state championships. The 2023 theme is " How can the environment be saved for our future? Judging criteria include Addressing theme- (20%) Development of theme-(50%), Expression and Delivery (30%) Three judges will be allowed to ask a question of each participant. For interest and more information, please contact Lion Ken Emery kpemery1960@gmail.com
Vergennes Leo Megan Mentzer will represent the Vergennes Lions Club at the state level in April 2023.
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