Projects benefit Iola community
In spite of the coronavirus pandemic, the Iola Lions Club was able to live up to the Lions’ motto, “We Serve,” and remain active with numerous projects that benefited the community throughout 2020.
Some of the activities they were involved in included a membership cash drive for the Iola Food Pantry, which raised more than $4,000.
The organization also held four blood drives throughout the year; assisted with the Iola Car Show’s Rally for Iola; did landscaping work on the Car Show grounds; held their semi-annual Adopt-a-Highway road cleanup on State Highway 161; and held its Stuff the Bus event in August to benefit local students in need of school supplies.
A major project for the organization involved staining and performing repair work on Iola’s Riverwalk.
The club also sponsored and participated in the Lions’ Peace Poster contest for local sixth-graders and awarded $8,500 in scholarships to seven graduates from the Iola-Scandinavia High School Class of 2020.
The Lions assisted elderly residents by raking and hauling away brush and leaves and continued their successful Cans for Camp program, in which aluminum cans are collected at various locations and cashed in to raise money for the State Lions Camp in Rosholt. Collections in 2020 netted over $3,000.
The club also raised awareness for diabetes by handing out pamphlets about the disease as part of Diabetes Alert Day activities March 24 at the Iola Sentry.
The Iola Lions are always on the lookout for community-minded residents to join the club. Anyone interested can reach out to Mark Doll at 715-445-2031 or Mark Sether at 715-445-4094.