Lions Seek New Members for Pride

The Lions are seeking new members to join the pride. The Seekonk Lions Club that is.

The Lions are the world’s oldest service organization with over 1.35 million members worldwide. Started in 1917 to assist the blind, they now serve not only the visually impaired, but also youth and adults-in-need. 

The Seekonk Lions Club currently has 57 members, ages 30 to nearly 90 years old. The group holds monthly dinner meetings at DiPalma Italian Table Restaurant with featured guest speakers as well as ongoing fundraisers, including a clam boil on the first Thursday of every month at the Seekonk Gun Club in Rehoboth, which draws close to 200 people.

Last year they raised $30,000 for local charitable causes, says President Keith Rondeau. The money was distributed to a variety of organizations and causes such as the Seekonk school system for the purchase of equipment for disabled children, scholarship money for students in need, donations to local food pantries and diabetes research and much more.

Jeff Creamer, who is in charge of soliciting new memberships, can’t say enough positive things about his work with the Lions. “I joined the club at the urging of some friends that were in it,” Creamer says. “I was aware of some things they did, but I never really knew what they were about. Once you get involved you realize you’re doing a lot of really great things for people and organizations that require help. But, we can’t do what we do without people getting involved.” 

While the Lion’s aim to serve, they also enjoy their time with one another. They organize events such as softball games with the women’s arm of the organization, the Seekonk Hearthstone Lions Club, and also collaborate with the East Providence-Seekonk Rotary Club on a yearly charitable golf tournament, to be held this year on July 25th at the Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford.

Rondeau says the volunteer work inspires him every day. “Getting a letter from a scholarship recipient who says ‘I didn’t even know how I would pay for my books this year,’ or to hear people talk about being able to hear clearly for the first time in years, it gives you a sense of satisfaction.”

To help with administrative costs members pay annual dues of $65, which includes subscription to the Lions Club magazine. For more information about the group visit their website here or contact Keith Rondeau at keith89@comcast.net.