| The Agawam Lions Club wishes to thank our friends, neighbors, relatives and the generous citizens of Agawam and West Springfield for their response to our call for help at our Chicken Barbecue at the Big E that just ended. Al Taupier, manager of the Agawam Lions Club Chicken Barbecue said, to use the phrase "We couldn't have done it without you" really rings true. There were over 100 volunteers that worked 1 or more shifts, along with the members of the Agawam Lions and Agawam Lioness clubs. The total number of shifts worked during the 17 day fair was 810. All toll, the total number of hours worked was over 4000, and for all this effort, nobody was paid. The first workers started working at 5:30 a.m. and the last of the workers left at 10:30 p.m. The response was so great, we were not able to find room for everyone that called to volunteer. We really feel bad about this and hope you will try again next year. This year's Chicken Barbecue was another big success. We served over 12,000 meals. We cooked over five tons of chicken and used about 4,000 pounds of charcoal to do it. The success of this annual project this year will allow us to continue to fund the many activities we support throughout our town. It will also allow us to increase the scholarships we award each year. Approximately 2/3 of the monies we raise are used to support these activities in our town. We will also continue to be one of the largest contributors in our state to Massachusetts Lions Eye Research in Boston. From the conversations we had and the observations we made, it seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves helping us prepare or serve our meals. Many of the people who called to volunteer, said that the Agawam Lions Club does so much for our town, they were pleased to have the opportunity to help us, to show their appreciation. Some of their comments were: We thought you had to be a Lion to work here (NOT) Nobody ever told us you needed help We didn't realize how much your club does for our community This is fun. Can I help again on another day or next year? (DEFINITELY) Also, each year, NHS students from Agawam High School and LEO club members, (Junior Lions) help us out during the fair. They are excellent workers and conduct themselves in a manner that should make their parents and our School system proud. So, on behalf of our Lions Club president, Chuck Flink, and the Agawam Lions Club, we wish to express our appreciation and many many thanks for your help, either by volunteering to work with us or by coming in to have one of our meals. Thank you for your support. Al Taupier Manager of Agawam Lions Chicken Barbecue |
