The Park Rapids Lions Club received its charter on June 23, 1954, at a meeting held at the Park Rapids Municipal building. Wells, the club was chartered with 20 members. These 20 members elected local businessman Robert Brown as their first president. Since receiving its charter, the club has had 59 presidents with 16 past presidents who are still active members of the club. In addition to the ded
ication of the past presidents, a number of members have stepped forward to accept the duties of club secretary. Most notable of the past secretaries is Dwaine Ogden, who served as club secretary for 21 years, from 1975-1996. Since receiving its charter in 1954, the Park Rapids Lions Club has strongly adhered to the Lions International motto of ‘We Serve’ by actively serving the Park Rapids community and surrounding area by contributing financial support, volunteer hours and sponsorship of various community projects. Club members have also served the broader community by serving on the District 5M9 cabinet. Lions Zelda & Larry Novak currently serve as co-chairs of Zone 4. Lion Dick Kimball has served as a 5M9 co-chair for Leader Dogs for the Blind since 2007. Along with serving as a co-chair for the Lions Eye Health Program for 3 years, Lion John Fischer and his wife Lavonne accompanied vision mission trips to Mazatlán, Mexico where they assisted with vision screenings and distributed eyeglasses. Other overseas projects include Lion Jay Mondry’s work with a Polish orphanage that cares for terminally ill children, including raising funds for a van & a heating/cooling system for the facility. In the summer of 2009, Lions Mondry & Jerry Novak spent two weeks in the Peruvian Amazon working on a medical clinic construction project. Though not Lions sponsored projects, these efforts fit very well with the Lions motto. The Park Rapids Lions Club strongly supports all District 5M9 projects, especially those dealing with vision issues and hearing issues. As an example, support for the Leader Dogs for the Blind has included monetary support as well as educational efforts with schools in 5M9. For two years, the club sponsored, with eight other area clubs, visits by Leader Dog field representatives Bunny Tabatt and Len Quinn and their dogs to several local schools. Since the club was chartered, the Park Rapids Lions Club has undertaken and supported many projects in and around the community. While too numerous to mention each, the following is a listing of some of the more recent projects. Community Betterment Projects
Tennis courts & fencing at Heartland Park
Flag poles at the All-Veteran’s Memorial
Tree & shrub planting throughout the community
Spring leaf & lawn litter pick-up
Adopt-A-Highway program [2 miles on TH #34 west]
Pre-Memorial Day clean-up at Greenwood Cemetery
Painting project at the Nemeth Art Center
Home improvement projects the Crisis Intervention Center
Financial support for local disaster relief [Wadena tornado & Menahga fire]
Financial support for national & international disaster relief [Indonesian tsunami; Japanese tsunami; Philippine typhoon; Hurricane Sandy]
Community Activities
July 4th fireworks display
Kinship Programs
Living-At-Home Programs
Tele-sensory [vision assist] machines for local individuals [13 total]
Hospice Programs
Diabetes & blood pressure screenings
Vision screenings
Eyeglass collection sites throughout the community [15]
Eyeglass purchase for local citizens
• Century School PTA Caring & Sharing Hands Program
Hubbard County Food Shelf
Scholarships for Park Rapids Area High School seniors
Reading buddies at Century School
Stand-alone Lions Trophy for Run-to-The-Rapids car show
Financial Support for Lions & Lions International Sponsored Programs
Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation
Youth Outreach
Leader Dogs for the Blind
Youth Exchange
LCIF
Project New Hope
Minnesota Lions Diabetes Foundation
Kamp KACE
Minnesota Lions Hearing Foundation
Can-Do-Canines
The Park Rapids Community has given strong financial support to the Park Rapids Lions Club fund raising activities and projects. Some of the more recent are as follows. Dinners
Holiday Shopping Spree
Pancake Breakfasts
Garage & Consignment Sale
Mint Sales
Brat/hotdog sales
