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Date: 3/18/2021
EAST LONGMEADOW – The East Longmeadow Lions Club will not be hosting one of its most popular events, the annual fishing derby. Club Secretary Scott Grabowski said that it takes a few months to set up the event and with the state still limiting gathering sizes due to COVID-19, it made sense to cancel it for this year.
The derby was brought back by popular demand in 2019 after a six-year hiatus. It was the first time the Lions had hosted the derby, once organized by the Jaycees. Due to the pandemic, the Lions had to cancel last year’s derby, as well.
“The COVID thing has messed us all up,” Grabowski said of the pandemic. Aside from the derby, many events, including community dinners and the pancake breakfast that the club traditionally hosts have been put on hold.
The events organized by the Lions are not fundraisers for the club but, instead, are meant to enrich the community. “Anything we raise goes back out into the community,” Grabowski explained. “Any monies that we raise as the EL Lions, goes into our activities account and is used for our charities. None of that money can be used for the benefit of club members. Our administrative account is funded by our dues and is used for district travel and meals, etc., for our members.”
The Lions, which stands for “Liberty – Intelligence – Our Nation’s Safety,” began in 1917 as an association of business clubs to help address social issues that existed after World War I. In 1925, Hellen Keller tasked Lions Club International with becoming “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” Since then, the Lions have focused a large part of their work on helping the blind.
The East Longmeadow Lions Club supports several sight-related charities: free screenings for detection of eye disease through the Eyemobile, eye exams and glasses for those in need, Lions District 33-Y Emergency Sight and Hearing Fund, Journey For Sight, Picnic for the Blind, Massachusetts Association for the Blind, Lions Orthoptic Clinic in Springfield and the Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund.
“Almost all Massachusetts Lions Clubs donate to the Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund, which is our statewide charity. One-hundred percent of the money donated by the clubs goes to eye research facilities in Massachusetts.” Grabowski said it is “a rarity in today’s charitable donation destinations,” that no administrative costs are taken from donations.
The group supports a score of other, non-sight-related charitable initiatives, including band instruments and uniforms for East Longmeadow High School, classroom equipment for the elementary schools, youth summer programs at the library, “Dine Out For Our Schools” fundraiser, the Lions Club/Habitat For Humanity partnership, Lions Group Blood Donor Program, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Open Pantry and the Lazarus Project.
Beyond the fishing derby, the Lions also help to organize community events, such as the fire hydrant painting contest, Fourth of July parade, the annual National Night Out, the annual town Christmas tree lighting and nativity scene display and the Halloween party for town children and Shriners’ Hospital patients.
One fundraiser that the Lions are able to put on, despite the pandemic, is the sale of “historical blankets,” depicting landmarks around East Longmeadow, Grabowski said. That money will help fund any events that the club hosts this year, including the annual golf tournament in August.
Monetary donations can be made out to the Lions Club of East Longmeadow and can be sent to Grabowski at 25 Greenacre Ln., East Longmeadow, MA 01028. Membership applications are available at www.ellions.org and can be sent to Grabowski or given to any East Longmeadow Lion. There is a one-time initiation fee of $35 for new Lions and the club dues are $75 per year or $37.50 if joining after Jan. 1.
For more information about The East Longmeadow Lions Club, visit www.ellions.org, https://www.facebook.com/ellionsclub, or call Grabowski at 525-2500 or Lloyd Oakes at 525-2378.