A Grand Marais Lions Club float in a recent Fisherman’s Picnic Parade says it all. “We Serve!” The Lions not only set up and host the Fisherman’s Picnic, they provide a variety of grants to the school, hospital and other nonprofits that help the community. If you are interested in joining, please contact a Lions Club member.
The Grand Marais Lions Club was formed in 1951, and during its first quarter century it was flush with members. However, as time progressed there were fewer members but no less work, said Bob Spry, a member for the last 40-plus years.
“This is a very fine organization, a good organization that does a lot for the community, but we could use some more help,” Spry said.
Walt Mianowski, past president and still a member, has served for nearly 50 years and he has watched the organization get older. “We need new blood. It’s as simple as that,” he said recently.
The Grand Marais Lions Club’s biggest fundraiser is the four-day Fisherman’s Picnic held at the end of July and early August. It’s a time when former residents and high school graduates return for family and class reunions and the town floods with visitors who want to join in the festivities.
But it’s a lot to organize, and the last couple of years the club has been saying they didn’t know how long they could continue putting on the area’s biggest yearly event without more people joining the club.
That’s where new members come in, and Rob Hackett is one of them.
Hackett runs the Grand Marais Dairy Queen with his wife. He coaches Little League and is a part-time on-call bus driver for the school district. Here is what Hackett said following his first few meetings.
“Pillars of Lionism are: Vision, Hearing, Youth, Diabetes. This is what I learned in my first meeting that I wasn’t sure about. Honestly I felt a little intimidated by these men and women (yes there are women in the Lions Club) that I had grown up around and respected. ….
“A mental checklist went through my head after my second meeting that was just as much fun as the first. Service-minded people, check. Fun people, check. People who want to help those in need in our community, check.
“Well, there has to be a catch here so let’s ask the question and see. We are all busy people who have lots of today’s pressures to keep us busy so how much time would be required of me to take part? The answer I got was pretty simple. You get out of it what you put into it.
“During the summer months there are two meetings and one meeting a month in the winter. During the winter, when it’s slower, you find a project you are passionate about and you get to decide how much time you can contribute.”
Joining the club is by invitation, said Hackett, but he added, “Service-minded people are invited to contact a Lion and come to a meeting and see if there is a fit for you like I found it was for me.”
If you are interested in joining a fun group of people who are dedicated to helping the community, contact the Lions Club by email at gmlionsclub@gmail.com or call 387-2411. More information can also be found at www.lionsclub.org.
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