Award banquet in District 23-C recognizes non-Lion humanitarians
Brings in new Lions club members and raises US$8,000 in LCIF donation
Sixteen years ago, Past District Governor (PDG) and current CA-1A Area Leader Mary Krogh had an idea to begin an annual humanitarian award banquet to recognize local non-Lions for their service to their communities. “At the time I was tasked with sponsoring an LCIF event and also spreading the word about Lionism to non-Lions,” said PDG Krogh. “I asked our clubs to find that special non-Lion in their communities to be recognized for their humanitarian service—the unsung heroes that do so much and are never acknowledged for what they do.” Each club submits one non-Lion nominee that either lives or works in their home community. There are four counties in the district, and the awards are decided by county.
The clubs notify their nominated humanitarians and invite them to the banquet. Family and friends of the honorees are also invited. This year 17 humanitarians were recognized. “Over the years our humanitarians have come from all walks of life, from supreme court judges to a 90-year-old woman who has worked in a shelter for over 50 years,” said PDG Krogh. “Each humanitarian receives several gifts of appreciation, and there is always some surprise entertainment.”
Elected officials at the town, state and federal levels are invited, and humanitarians receive proclamations from the elected officials in attendance. Popular local TV anchors have also consistently been involved in the event. This year, since one of the honorees is a police officer in the K-9 unit, other K-9 officers were invited, and a donation of 500 pounds of dog food was made to area dog rescues in their honor.
Generally, the attendance at the banquet is about 80% non-Lions, which provides a valuable opportunity to subtly educate the community about what Lions clubs do. In addition to the list of this year’s honorees and past honorees, the event program includes a list of all LCIF grants received in the state and a list of area Lions clubs projects. Although this is a service project and not a fundraiser, the event brought in about US$8,000 in donations to LCIF this year, and each year it brings in a few new Lions clubs members as well.
The majority of the funds raised by the event were from the annual basket raffle and a silent auction that was added this year for the first time. A non-Lion donation of US$1,000 was also received. “PIP Doug Alexander had a fantastic idea to put paper bags on the tables and ask attendees to donate a few dollars in the bags at the end of the night, and this brought in US$900,” said PDG Krogh. “I am delighted that our celebration of local humanitarians will help to fund even more humanitarian service around the world, through generous donations to LCIF made by the event attendees.”
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