Lions boost a raft of community projects

The Lions Club of Blue Lake City Lioness hand over more than $12,000 for the year

A range of local community groups have received a windfall courtesy of the Lions Club of Blue Lake City Lioness.

The group’s fundraising has resulted in a range of donations being handed out in recent weeks, totalling more than $12,000.

The highlight of the club’s handouts was the $3000 to help fund a medical alert dog to work with diabetes patients.

Club president Janet Bellinger said the club was able to name the puppy, which they called Nessie, in honour of their former Lioness Club. Each medical alert puppy costs around $38,000 and Nessie will be trained to assist diabetes patients, alerting them when there are changes in their blood glucose level.

“That little dog one day would save someone’s life,” she said. The club also recently handed a swag of donations to 10 groups and projects.

2022/23 DONATIONS

• Tatiara Lions Club – $1000 – They transport stock to Tailem Bend Abattoir for processing and then the Foodbank distributes the meat to needy families

• Mount Gambier RFDS Support Group – $1000

• ac.care – $1000

• MND research @ Flinders University – $1000

• Mount Gambier Library – $500 – for the purchase of audio books

• Sunset Kitchen – $500 – for the purchase of food containers

• We-Care Project (Mount Gambier Anglican Church) – $500 – for the Sri Lankan sewing project

• Limestone Coast Domestic Violence – $500 – for the purchase of toiletries

• Spare Ya Change 4 Kids – $1000 – to assist with the weekly meal preparation

• Noorla-Yo-Long – $300 – for the purchase of a clothes line and pegs

The club has a number of avenues of fundraising including Bunnings sausage sizzle, a Christmas raffle, a Mother’s Day raffle, gift wrapping at Christmas time and the current president’s 2023 brainchild which was an open garden event involving four local gardens.

“The garden event was our biggest fundraiser, raising $5000,” Janet said.

The club has also started another project this past year with a rug project involving all 22 current members of the club.

“We love this project because everyone in our group can be involved and we just meet at someone’s house and tie the rugs and we can all help,” Janet said.

The group also continues to supply the Mount Gambier Hospital with packs of essentials and also delivers library books in partnership with the Mount Gambier Library to home bound people, including children.

“The library picks out the books and then we take them out to people who can’t get to the library themselves,” Janet said.

The members also are part of the Sunset Kitchen roster, taking a Wednesday night shift periodically to help with the kitchen’s meals program and help with Daffodil Day – the Cancer Council’s major fundraiser.

The club’s members also help put up the city’s Christmas decorations and assist with Christmas Parade.

“We’re a busy little club,” Janet said. “If people let us know they need help and it is something we can assist with, we certainly will.”

MEDICAL ALERT DOG PROGRAM:
(Right) – Wil Cousins, Lyn Fulton & Gayle Green ready to hand over the $3000 donation

COMMUNITY PROJECTS WINDFALL:
(Below from left) Fiona Dixon from In Home Hospice Care Mount Gambier with president Janet Bellinger; Don Pratt (left) and Fiona Paltridge (right) accepted a cheque from Janet to help with food cost of meals for Spare Ya Change 4 Kids; Sue Watts from ac.care accepted a cheque from Janet Bellinger to buy fillings for toasted sandwiches they make for the homeless and those in need, in May they made about 2500 and Maree Thompson, from Sunset Kitchen.