Looking
through 30 years worth of photographs at the old school house on Jockvale Road and Strandherd Drive,
members of the Barrhaven Lions Club have all the proof they need to remind
themselves how much they’ve assisted others.
So as the
club gets set to celebrate its 30th anniversary at a gala banquet on
March 20, its members just want to keep doing what they do best – serve the
community.
Through
countless bake sales, pancake breakfasts, and barbeques, the service club
raises upwards of $60,000 annually for the area’s various organizations.
“I get such
a good feeling inside me we when do something,” 15-year-member and current
director of the board of governors Susan Greenberg said. “I get such a warm,
fuzzy feeling. You can’t really spell it out. We are so much greater than our
individual selves.
“It’s not a
vocation, it’s an avocation. You have to love to help people. But what you get
back is 10-fold as far as I’m concerned.”
As one of
the most active clubs in Ottawa – as evident by the fact that a third of the
district cabinet is made up of people from Barrhaven – the Lions and their 49
members help fund Canada Day celebrations in Barrhaven, Fun Day for Muscular
Dystrophy Canada, a pancake breakfast for the Children’s Wish Foundation, and
their annual Santa Claus Parade – an event that now draws 20,000 people.
“With
government cut backs, they’re so many people out there in need of support,” anniversary
chairman and former president Dave Voisey said, while adding that the club also
funds sports teams and scout troops. “Our demand is really on the rise.”
Voisey has
seen that demand rise first hand.
The
67-year-old joined the club in 1983 after being sponsored by then-president Gus
Este.
Back then, his
wife Viv was the head of entertainment in Barrhaven and it required only six
people to distribute flyers to the whole community.
While Barrhaven is much bigger than it was when Voisey first
joined the club, the Lions do whatever they can to help to the fullest.
The Lions Club bylaws state that all proceeds from any event
must be reinvested to better serve the community in some capacity.
“Any money
we raise must go back into the community,” Voisey said. “There are no freebies.
It’s very important that the public knows that we don’t waste their money.”
Voisey was
also elected as the council chair for the 2005-06 term, which he counts as his
proudest moment as a Lion, especially since he went to Hong
Kong for the club’s international convention.
While in Hong Kong, Voisey noticed that residents there found
service clubs more prestigious, particularly among younger adults.
The
Barrhaven group does have a Leo Club for teenagers with 17 members, but the
youngest Lion is 20 years old and next in line is 43.
“We’re
aware of the challenges,” Voisey said. “We know we have to adjust and we’re
going to do what we can.”
Voisey
feels that there are two main problems the Lions have attracting a younger
demographic, both of which can easily be rectified.
“I think
it’s a combination of time and money,” he said. “But we don’t ask for anything
other than that every once and a while you throw your hands in. We welcome
anyone who wants to join as long as they’re willing to spend some time.
“We’re
trying to reduce the obligations to meet the needs of the younger people today.”
Part of
those obligations, Voisey feels, is that the Lions reflect an old-fashioned
image that maybe isn’t as trendy with some people.
“If you
look back at all the pictures, there are people wearing purple hats. Young
people don’t go for that,” Voisey said, also mentioning that the Lions offer
training programs for personal growth. “We’re trying to be flexible. We realize
there’s different ways to do things.”
But regardless of how they do it, the end product will still
be the same. The Barrhaven Lions Club will be helping the community as best as
they can.
The club is currently preparing to run its Mother/Daughter
Gala Dinner in support of the Queensway
Carleton Hospital
and its fishing tournament for blind anglers, both of which will take place
after the 30-year celebration – perhaps with a little more notoriety.
“We don’t
blow our horns enough,” Voisey said, who is also the club’s tail twister, a
position responsible for creating humour at meetings. “We tend to just do
things and be done with them. Maybe if we made ourselves better known, that may
be a way of attracting more people.”
No matter how many people are there presently or in the
future, members say that it’s all about helping people.
“I’ve been
in service clubs since I was 16. I felt I couldn’t afford to do things myself,
but I can with the Lions,” Greenberg’s husband and 17-year-Lion Bob said.
“It’s not a
smug feeling. It’s a feeling where you know you’ve accomplished something.”
Voisey knows there are some obstacles to climb, but as long
as they continue to do what they’ve done for 30 years, everything will be fine
in the end.
“The
challenge is going to be on us to maintain our viability,” he said. “As long as
we continue to serve, we will survive.”
daniel.bowman@metroland.com