Mount Forest Lions Club 85th Anniversary

Museum and archives peering back through 85 years of Mount Forest Lions Club history

JORDAN SNOBELEN REPORTER

MOUNT FOREST – The Mount Forest Lions Club “is always a club that looks forward,” says Kate Rowley of the Mount Forest Museum and Archives.

But to understand where you’re going, requires a look into the past.

Rowley and three volunteers are busy on a recent Wednesday in the Jean Weber Reading Room at the museum and archives.

They’re just some of the volunteers working behind the scenes to prepare for a retrospective exhibit about the Lions Club, ahead of a May 1 club flag raising outside the Main Street building.

Lions Club accoutrements and artifacts surround the room — everything from vests adorned with pins once worn by former members, to old Mount Forest Confederate newspaper clippings and photos.

Volunteer Marlene Markle sorts through historical photos, framing them in Lions’ blue and gold to make them “pop” from a wall in the reading room where they’ll soon be mounted.

Volunteers Debbie Witherow and Beverlee Fettes work to put names to the many young faces seen in black and white photos of a 1958 Lions’ bike rodeo.

More volunteers are in another room querying computer records of their collection for items relevant to the

exhibition.

In all, Rowley says there are some 20 people involved in bringing together the retrospective, entitled The Mount Forest Lions: 85 years serving a community

“Their interests have changed over the decades,” Rowley says of the club, “but

what we want to tell is the story, that in 1938, when they started in Mount Forest, the programs revolved around childhood welfare.”

In the club’s early days, Rowley explained, it organized tuberculosis screening programs, “as they would organize a blood donor clinic now.”

The respiratory disease was a particular threat for children, and the club continued organizing screening events through to the Second World War.

From 1938 to 1972, it brought Santa Claus to town, and sponsored a local circus, Christmas food baskets, bike rodeos, sports teams, families

in need and playground equipment.

In later years, members put on “effective speaking” events for children, and supported others such as “bowl for kids.”

“Right from the get-go, children seem to have been a focus for the Lions,” Rowley says.

But the club’s support wasn’t limited to children’s interests over the years; it spanned the entire community, which the Lions viewed as

an inter-connected whole. The club avidly backed environmental, recreational, and artistic endeavours with volunteering and fundraising. Lions raised and donated $50,000 toward the Lions Foundation Canada Dog Guides, $40,000 to a wetlands sanctuary and renewal project on the Saugeen River, and funded upgrades to an outdoor pool opened in 1948 that was named after the late Roy Grant,

ARCHIVAL PHOTOS

– Clockwise from bottom: Young boys line up at a chest x-ray clinic in 1940. Lions Clubs arranged screening interviews and set up the clinics in the 1930s and ‘40s in an effort by public health to eradicate tuberculosis (Archives of Ontario); Mary Ruth Job was the first woman to become club president (Campbell Cork); and winners of the famous Lions’ Bicycle Rodeo in 1958. Standing with then Lions President Norm Tressider are, from left: Peter Blyth, Lyle Bender, Frank Cutler and Bob Cutler (Mount Forest

LOOKING BACK

Retrospective to bring over eight decades of history to life

a club charter member and local lawyer.

“All of those things lead into a healthy community,” Rowley said. Museum and archive volunteers are also hoping to tell the story of who the Lions were and are.

“They do everything as a group, and they talk about themselves as a collective all the time,” Rowley says with a laugh.

But there are specific, longserving members, often men, who she says, “formed the strength of this community from the early days.”

Women weren’t permitted to join the club until 1985, but the local group has included women from the beginning, according to Rowley.

Mary Ruth Job became the club’s first female president in 2002 and raised guide dogs. (The late Lloyd Fraser was the first recipient of a guide dog

named Gus.)

With the Mount Forest club’s original 1938 charter in-hand, volunteers began diving into the names and backgrounds of the club’s 15 original members, searching for threads tying them to the community’s origins and to the modern day.

“We don’t always come up to current times in our exhibits, but this one we will because they’re still so active,” Rowley says. The exhibit is formed of photos, documents, artifacts — some from the museum and archives’ permanent collection, and others on loan from current members — which aim to make the history come alive.

Tangible details, such as an original milk bottle from the club’s milk program, or a book of hand-written names from the 1947 Mount Forest Old Boys Reunion, will connect people with past memories and

the faces in the many photos being showcased.

An enlarged black and white photo of the Lion Roy Grant pool, Rowley says, represents summer jobs, swimming lessons, family summers, and seniors’ swimming clubs — everything the pool meant to the town for two months of the year.

“You got to make it sing for people, it’s got to be interesting in a lot of ways,” Rowley says.

“You want people to walk in and say, ‘What would this community have been like without the Lions?’”

The retrospective opens on May 1 at the Mount Forest Museum and Archives (102 Main Street South) and will run until Sept. 30.

A special reception for Lions Club members and family will be held at the museum and archives in the early summer (date yet to be determined).

– ABOVE: Mount Forest Museum and Archives volunteer Marlene Markle mounts a photograph for the upcoming exhibition. (Photo by Jordan Snobelen) BELOW: Mount Forest Lion’s Club Community Swimming Pool, completed in 1967. (Image courtesy of Mount Forest Museum and Archives)

You want people to walk in and say, ‘What would this community have been like without the Lions?’

KATE ROWLEY

Mount Forest Lions Club celebrates 85 years of making community a better place to live

JORDAN SNOBELEN REPORTER

MOUNT FOREST – An untouched dusting of snow blankets the woodchip padding of the Lion Bill Moody playground as Vern Job gestures at the splash pad beyond.

His voice is the only sound filling the chilly air, but come summertime, the joyful voices of hundreds of children playing, and the splashing of cool water will be heard each week here.

The playground, built in 2013 and named after 53-year member Bill Moody, and the splashpad, built in 2020 and named after decades-long members Dennis MacDonald and Wilson Schwindt, are the “pride and joys” of the Mount Forest Lions Club, Job says.

To make the projects happen, built in collaboration with Wellington North township, the community donated $120,000 through the club — $50,000 for the park and $70,000 for the splashpad.

“We’ve been blessed in Mount Forest, that we’ve had so much generous help from the community people, young and old,” said Job, who has been a local Lion member since arriving in the community from Ingersoll in 1986.

He’s a past club president and now its historian, following in the steps of the likes of original Mount Forest charter member and lawyer Roy Grant,

and Job’s predecessor, Ron Hunter.

The service club takes on and champions causes and projects that Job says may otherwise not happen.

“The people step up and support us and make donations so we can do these things,” he said.

Driving westward along London Road, past an ongoing residential development on more than five acres of land, Job speaks of the growth coming to Mount Forest, and how the community would look if it weren’t for the service club.

“We’re doing our part to make Mount Forest a better place in which to live,” he said.

He steers past Wellington Heights Secondary School, which Lions member and resident Rick Sinnamon advocated to bring to Mount Forest.

“At that time, he didn’t have any idea, the amount of population growth we would experience, as well as we’re going to experience. There’s housing everywhere,” Job remarked.

A community needs two things for growth, says Job: educational opportunities and health care.

“Without a good school … or without a hospital, the town doesn’t grow,” he said, adding the local health care system is the largest recipient of the club’s yearly community donations.

Amy Van Hu ss of the Mount Forest Louise Marshall

Hospital Foundation said the Lions have donated over $238,000 to the foundation in support of its campaigns, including the CKNX Health Care Heroes Radiothon, gala, and the hospital’s redevelopment and expansion of its emergency department and ambulatory care areas.

“They’ve also supported our general equipment fund, with donations directed to support the hospital’s highest pri-

for education and health care, the Lions are behind several locations for recreation and fun in the community — be they playgrounds (there are four supported by the Lions), a community centre, or a swimming pool.

The now-defunct outdoor swimming pool bearing Lion Roy Grant’s name, was built at its Parkside Drive location in 1948 — a decade after the club was first established.

we built the original pool for $3,800,” he added.

A new outdoor pool is proposed adjacent to the Mount Forest and District Sports Complex, which the club also had an active hand in, pledging $50,000 to the construction of the new complex. The club has also made other donations over the years to enhance the centre.

The Lions are also responsible for a digital sign installed five years ago at the corner of Queen Street West and Cork Street, at a cost of $50,000. The sign means MacDonald no longer needs to place a sandwich board at the intersection alerting passersby of the Lions’ weekly bingo games held at the complex.

The Wednesday night games, which started in 1979, are the club’s longest-running fundraiser.

such as a grocery card raffle, drive-through barbecues, and a contactless version of the club’s most valuable fundraiser — a “road toll” where members collect donations from drivers during the Victoria and Labour Day long weekends.

Money raised from other efforts such as a book of coupons for local businesses, has been donated to the fire hall for the purchase of life-saving equipment and vehicles.

The club has also funnelled money to local organizations and groups over the years, such as sports clubs, air cadets, and Big Brothers Big Sisters – and Lions donations have benefited a large list of other recipients, including, to name only some, school nutrition programs, scholarships and families in need.

ority equipment needs,” Van Huss said.

“We couldn’t be more grateful for their contributions.”

The Claire Stewart Medical Centre across the road, built in 2001 and named after the wife of longtime member and prominent business owner Lloyd Stewart, was also made possible, in part, by the Lions.

“We assisted in building it and donated a lot of funds,” Job said.

Beyond the club’s support

Discussion of a new outdoor pool to replace the Lion Roy Grant has been ongoing at various levels in the township since at least 2016, and Job is adamant the club will be involved in getting a new pool built in the community.

“To what extent remains to be determined,” said Job, who is also a member of the township’s aquatics advisory committee.

“The Lions have been involved since 1948, when

They attract between 80 to 250 people each week — depending on events and jackpot size — who spend money on bingo cards and games, contributing much to the club’s coffers.

“Each year, over the last several years, we’ve donated well over $100,000 each year back into the community,” Job said.

He also proudly notes the club maintained historic donation levels throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as members conjured out-of-the-box ideas for fundraising events,

“There’s almost nobody in this community that hasn’t been touched by something to do with the Lions, or a service club in general,” Job said.

As the community grows, new residents will join those already benefitting from the efforts of community-minded Lions members, Job said.

“There will be lots of needs and there will be lots of people who want to serve those needs.”

The club, he added, will “survive well beyond my time, and well into the future.

“The Lions will be there to assist and serve as the need arises.”

PRIDE AND JOY – Lions Club member, historian and past president Vern Job stands next to a sign for the Bill Moody Lions Playground, one of the club’s “pride and joys.”

Photo by Jordan Snobelen

will be there to assist and serve as the need arises.

Council proclaims May

‘Mount Forest Lions Club Month’

JORDAN SNOBELEN REPORTER

KENILWORTH – Wellington North councillor Sherry Burke said it was her honour to officially proclaim May 2023 as “Mount Forest Lions Club Month.”

Addressing many dedicated and longtime Lions members gathered in the council chamber on April 17, Burke said there were many “proud faces” present.

She thanked the members for their community service. To a round of applause, Burke expressed “gratitude” and “thanks” on behalf of council and the township.

Established in 1938, the club celebrates its 85th anniversary on May 24. Burke highlighted the club’s active role in the community through annual community events, such as the Mount Forest Santa Claus parade, and its support of local charitable causes, such as Mount Forest’s Cancer Patient Services.

Current Mount Forest Lions Club president George Laurencic stood and voiced his appreciation of council’s support.

“This is an amazing group of individuals that serve not only Mount Forest, but the community around Mount Forest as well,” Laurencic said.

Burke presented a certificate of recognition to Laurencic and fellow Lions, some of whom have volunteered with the club for more than four decades.

LIONS CLUB MONTH – At the Wellington North council meeting on April 17, in honour of the Mount Forest Lions Club’s upcoming 85th anniversary, the month of May was proclaimed Mount Forest Lions Club Month. Councillor Sherry Burke, middle, presents a certificate to club members Wilson Schwindt and Dennis MacDonald. Also in attendance for the proclamation were 40-year-long members Bill Nelson, John Vanderleeuw, Jean and John Hamilton and Ron Kirby, accompanied by Lions secretary Susan Wells and president George Laurencic. Submitted photo

Mount Forest Lions Club celebrating 85 years of ‘Lionism’

JORDAN SNOBELEN REPORTER

MOUNT FOREST – The Mount Forest Lions Club is one of many in a global network of 47,000 clubs with more than 1.4 million volunteers supporting global and local causes.

The club’s motto - “we serve” - is emblematic of the type of people who volunteer with the Mount Forest Lions Club, which celebrates its 85th anniversary this month.

“Lions are a proud but humble group of residents,” says longtime local member Vern Job.

“We are doing our part to make Mount Forest a better place to live.”

The Mount Forest Lions Club began in 1938 with 15 original “charter” members. It has since expanded to around 62 people, both men and women, who form a cross-section of the community.

Of that membership, at

least 25 have received the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award - the highest a club can bestow on a member - in recognition of their dedicated community service.

“We’re always looking for new members,” Job says, adding those who are “community-bound” and want to contribute “new ideas” are wanted.

“New people coming in have new ideas, and they see the community though a different set of eyes than us who have been here for a lot of years.”

In addition to supporting global causes related to childhood cancer, diabetes, vision, hunger and the environment, the local club organizes events, such as barbecue dinners and “road tolls” throughout the year to fundraise for local community groups, organizations and individuals.

According to Job, in recent years, the club has managed to donate at least $100,000

annually to local causes and initiatives, including the community food pantry and the Children’s Foundation of Guelph Wellington – to name a couple.

The club is also responsible for bringing Santa Claus to Mount Forest each year during the parade, and members can be seen regularly volunteering at community events and performing road and park cleanups through the year.

“We can see the fact that if it weren’t for Lions or service clubs in general, these things wouldn’t happen,” Job says, adding the community steps up to “support us and make donations so we can do these things.”

Although Job says “many volunteer organizations have suffered severely,” the Mount Forest Lions Club has been “blessed” with good leadership and an open-minded membership that’s receptive to new members and trying new

things — even if they’ve been unsuccessful before.

“You have to be open to allowing people to express their beliefs, to give them an opportunity to follow through with ideas and thoughts,” Job says.

Each year the club recruits new members “who have a genuine interest in the overall community,” Job says.

Members are able to com mit as much time as they have available and can express interest in joining at any of the club’s fundraising or service events.

The Lions also hold a “fall blitz” event, inviting people to come out and discover what “Lionism” is all about.

Job believes the organiza tion will rise to meet a growing community and its needs.

“There will always be com munity-minded people that want to fulfil those needs, and the Lions would be an excellent way of doing that,” he said.