Among the numerous area service organizations, the Lake Lenore Lions Club has been busy in the course of 2023, not only with its own operations, but also with helping to establish a new club in Humboldt. In our Year in Review featuring the Lake Lenore Lions, membership chair Beryl Bauer talks about the efforts of the group. 

“The Lake Lenore Lions Club has been very active in 2023 as always,” Bauer reports. “Over the past three years, we’ve raised over $90,000 in funds, and we’ve given a lot of that away.”  

The Lions’ largest fundraising event is the annual fish derby, held on the third Saturday of January. The club generates nets around $20,000 and draws plenty of fishermen from near and far with a prize payout of $25,000.  

Again along the fishing vein, the Lions work with the Lake Lenore Wildlife Federation and the Community Hall to put on the annual fish fry. The event is widely known and attended for its hospitality, entertainment, and of course the plentiful feed of whitefish from nearby Lenore Lake.  

Smaller events such as a walk-a-thon in June help to fill up the funds that go to an agency out of town and one inside the community. Bauer says this year, $2100 of the walk-a-thon funds went to STARS Air Ambulance. The other half remains in a community assistance fund to help people meet needs in times of crisis.  

There are other seasonally based events that Lions help to put on in Lake Lenore such as a traditional Valentines Day Ladies Night. They also attend regional governance meetings with clubs from Bruno and Middle Lake. 

Bauer acknowledges that one of the main accomplishments of the year was to help re-establish a presence for the Lions in Humboldt. 

“It was one of our bigger projects as far as recruitment goes. Humboldt people will know that on November 4, that club was chartered with 33 members. That was a big accomplishment that took a lot of hours of our members helping Humboldt with starting out doing activities to raise their funds.” 

Of the $45,000 of funds generated by the Lake Lenore Lions this year, Bauer says $25,000 went to a top of the line boat launch at Lenore Lake, accessible to all boaters. Another $4000 went to Lake Lenore School to support functions like its Breakfast for Learning program, scholarship funds and library books. The Lions also supplied treats for a Santa visit to the school in December.  

Other donations make by the Lake Lenore Lions this year include: 

  • $2100 to the Humboldt and District Hospital Foundation 

  • $2100 to STARS Air Ambulance 

  • $2000 to Dog Guides 

  • Approximately $5000 to other local community facilities, events and families in needs 

The local Lions clubs, including Lake Lenore, contribute to provincial and national efforts such as Diabetes Canada, kids' camps, the Royal Canadian Legion, Lions Foundations and the Lions Eye Bank, and disaster relief.  

“On behalf of Mike Vedress, our president, and our executive and all our members, I’d like to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the new year. May everyone continue to have a healthy and peaceful life.”