The Springfield Lions Club conducts a raffle every year and the proceeds are awarded to a local organization that supports the community., This yea’s recipient was Springfield’s Brattain House. On April 2 the Springfield Lions Club resented a check for $5,247.59 to Brattain House. Pictured are Tod Taguchi, Dale Bachman – Lions Club Treasurer, Dale Howard, Henry Miller – Lions Club Director, Silvia Ceja – Brattain House, and Lee Wacker. MIKE ROTHGEB/THE CRESWELL CHRONICLE
Many people know of the Lions Club and their fight to bring eye disease and blindness to light, but what people may not know is everything else Lions do for their communities. Locally, the Springfield Lions Club supports organizations and its residents in numerous ways. Whether it’s eye disease, homelessness or education, the Springfield Lions are on the hunt.
The Lions Club has been fighting and raising awareness for blindness, hearing loss and diabetes, while also supporting youth, the environment, feeding the hungry and aiding disabled seniors since 1917. Celebrating its 100th Anniversary last year was a monumental milestone in their cause.
The Lions Club is the largest non-political, non-religious organization in the world, with 1.4 million members in 108 countries. Since 1968, the Lions Club International Foundation has awarded over $700 million in grants to support humanitarian projects around the world, making them the global leader in humanitarian services.
Additionally, the Lions Club assists communities facing natural disasters by supplying food, water, clothing and medical supplies to those in need. Their focus is on long-term reconstruction efforts, not quick fixes.
Youth are not only an important part of a community but its future as well. The Lions Club believes in aiding children by supporting schools through scholarships, recreation and mentoring programs. The Lions Club Leo Program provides youth the opportunity to grow through volunteering and giving back to their community.
Each year, the Springfield Lions Club hosts a raffle to help fund a local organization that supports the community. Raffle tickets and sponsorships help raise the funds needed to accomplish their goals. This year’s sponsors include the Kilcullen Project, Jerry’s Home Improvement Center, Major Family Funeral Home and Dianne Rush. The Brattain House in Springfield was this year’s winner, and all proceeds went directly to supporting them and the Springfield community. On April 2, 2018, the Springfield Lions Club presented The Brattain House with a check for $5,247.59.
The Brattain House was chosen as this year’s raffle recipient because of their impact on the Springfield Community and because they lost their funding in December 2017. The Springfield Lions Club stepped in to assist The Brattain House to make sure families and children would receive the essentials for the school year.
Located at 1030 G St. in Springfield and owned by the Springfield School District, The Brattain House provides the community with many programs which support and provide services to all families and students in the Springfield School District and in East Lane County. Services they provide include community resource referrals, parenting classes, early learning literacy playgroups, access to computers, fax machines, internet, printers and other crucial services.
During the summer, The Brattain House provides 25 to 30 upcoming sixth and seventh graders with a summer camp program called Future Leaders. Future Leaders offers crafts, field trips, cultural exploration, games, sports, cooking and other activities to youth.
Partnered with Project Hope, a global health education and humanitarian assistance organization, The Brattain House provides students and families with school supplies and backpacks for the upcoming year. The Brattain House and Project Hope help around 1,300 students during the summer and 500 during the school year.
In addition, if a child needs shoes, clothing, sports equipment and even scholarships, The Brattain House gives them the opportunity to be on an even playing field with the other students.
The Springfield Lions Club and The Brattain House are prime examples of community support and togetherness. It’s not just every man, woman and child for themselves out there; these organizations believe in helping those in need to give them what others may take for granted.
Even organizations like The Brattain House need support occasionally, and thanks to the Springfield Lions Club, they can continue to do what they believe in. The Lions Club motto certainly rings true to its members and in everything they do: ”Where there’s a need, there’s a Lion.”
CONTACT INFO:
Springfield Lions Club:
Phone: 541-953-0990
PO Box 625, Springfield, OR 97477
Website: e-clubhouse.org/sites/springfieldor
Email: [email protected]
Social Media: Facebook.com/Springfieldlions
The Brattain House:
Phone: 541-501-3117
Address:1030 G St., Springfield, OR 97477
Website: www.springfield.k12.or.us/brattain
