Versailles Lions Club in need of members
The Versailles Lions Club, a service organization that is always giving to the community is now in need. It’s not monetary donations, although those will be put right back into the community, but rather they are in need of members. Whether it is age related or people moving away, The numbers are down from 80 members on the roster, with about half attending the meetings, to now 30 members. “We need members”, was the message from Robbie Everage, president of the club.
The Versailles Pumpkin Show is one of the biggest events in the fall in Ripley County each year. Held around the square in Versailles, the show invites all to enjoy four days of thrills, whether it be watching stage performances, riding the rides, participating in or enjoying the parade on Saturday, or just meeting up with friends. People travel many miles and often plan their vacation time around the Pumpkin Show to come back and have a reunion with family and classmates.
Who brings the Pumpkin Show to town? The Versailles Lions Club offers this event as their biggest fundraiser of the year, along with many other fundraisers. This year will mark 117 years. It’s an effort of teamwork for the club that has seen a decline in membership over the years. “A project this size requires a lot of help and we’ve had to reach outside the club and pay people to help,” Everage told The Versailles Republican. That takes away from the community the Versailles Lions Club serves.
What people may not know, is that 100% of the money made at the Pumpkin Show is donated back to the community. Every fundraiser is the same. The Versailles Lions Club members work at the Chicken BBQ each summer to make money, and at the Pancake Breakfast held at South Ripley to help benefit students.
Some of the ways the Lions Club serves the public is through the Tyson Summer Reading program at the Library; Ripley County Soccer Club, Versailles Little League; AYOU- American Youth Outreach Unlimited; Sea Cadets; Ripley County Fair Queen; Christmas gifts to children in need and Camp Woodsmoke – a camp that benefits handicapped children.
The Lions Club participates in vision screening in the area schools and is instrumental in getting glasses for those in need. They also give seven scholarships each year, along with gifts for students in the National Honor Society. They assist with fees for students attending Math Camp, and fees for girls to attend Girls State to learn about how our government works.
You may not know, but in a quiet room at the school you can find a Lions Club member filling backpacks with weekend food items that are supplied by Gleaners Food Bank. But, it takes a volunteer to actually get the food ready.
State and National Lions Project donations also go to the Eye Bank, Diabetes, Cancer, Speech and Hearing, Leader Dog, and Special Olympics.
The Versailles Lions Club loves to give. That’s the bottom line. They are willing to volunteer for three events a year, and meet all year long to prepare to serve others.
Part of the mission of the Lions Club is to serve others and to encourage service-minded people to serve their community. This is a perfect opportunity for those in the Versailles and surrounding area to find out more about the Versailles Lions Club and be a part of an organization that truly serves. To find out more, come to a meeting the second or fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Club Building located at 220 West 1st North Street (NW Corner of the Square) in Versailles.
Editor’s note: There is no fee to attend as a guest. Just say you saw the article in the paper or online and wanted to see what the Versailles Lions Club is all about.
