The Lake Orion Lions Club continued their service to the community as they adopted a road last month.
The mile-and-a-half stretch of Orion, between Flint Street and Clarkston Road, is the road that has been selected as part of the Lions? semi-annual Adopt-A-Highway Project.
The Lions? service to the community is not limited to just roads, but has a much wider scope.
According to longtime member Al Kassin, also known as ‘Big Al,? one of the Lions? pet projects is Bear Lake, a camp, which was started under his direction, for the legally blind. It opened in 1982 at Camp Franklin. The camp, which has continued to grow, is now housed in a 120-acre establishment in Lapeer County.
‘It’s one of the best camps in the state, one of the best in the country,? Kassin said, noting that it is not just for the visually impaired anymore, but all handicapped individuals.
After starting as a Lake Orion Lions? funded project, in 2003 the camp was selected as a ‘state project,? a project of merit that all the Lions Clubs in Michigan support.
‘We have a lot of special Lions that help support the camp,? Kassin said, adding that this special camp would not have been possible without these special people. ‘They deserve a lot of credit.?
Some may be a little more familiar with the Lions? Christmas basket program.
‘The Lions try to help local families, in the Lake Orion school district, that can’t have Christmas for their kids for whatever reason,? said partner in service Charlotte Patton, whose husband Jack is an active Lions member.
According to Patton, the club takes referrals from the schools and various community members and investigates each family to determine their need.
‘We try to help families that truly need help,? she said.
The Christmas baskets started as a food drive, but have grown to encompass more with the donations of toys, hats, scarves and items for adults. Through a partnership with Stadium Drive Elementary, where each classroom adopts a family, the Lions try to care for those in the community that need help.
Throughout the year, the club also helps those in need gain access to eyeglasses, hearing aids and wheelchair ramps. They also help local families in need, having in the past raised funds for a family where the wife needed a kidney transplant and for a family that had been burned out of their home.
The list doesn’t end there, as the Lions have active roles in helping fund other organizations such as Leader Dogs for the Blind, Silent Child Program, Michigan Eye Bank and many others.
The club hosts a variety of fundraisers throughout the year to help fund their charities, such as the Fourth of July Jubilee and Flare Night, among others.
According to Lions President Barry McMinn, the Lions Club is really for those people that like to help others, and is in need of new members to help carry on the cause.
‘We want to get new members and younger members to carry on,? said Barry’s wife, Kathy McMinn, who is a partner in service.
For those that aren’t aware, women are also involved in the Lions Club, and can serve as a member themselves or as a partner in service, an individual whose partner is a Lion and likes to help support the club.
The club currently has around 58 members and meets the first and third Wednesdays, from September to June.
Those interested in becoming involved in the Lions can contact President Barry McMinn at (248) 693-1895.