Lion Don Baker Receives Prestigious Award

Lion Don Baker (left) receives the Melvin Jones Fellow award from past president Lion Bob Reddick. Lion Don is the tenth person in the club’s history since 1946 to receive this prestigious international award.

Westport Lions Roar

By Lion Bob Reddick

“You can’t get very far until you start doing something for somebody else.” Those are the words of Melvin Jones, the founder of Lions Club International. There are few people in our community who have done more for others over the years than Lion Don Baker. The worldwide Melvin Jones Fellowship is the highest form of recognition and embodies the humanitarian ideas and purpose of Lionism.

Lion Baker is certainly a worthy recipient of this prestigious award. Don has been president of the Westport Lions, Lion of Year, and maintained the beach by himself for years. This season, 25 people were involved in looking after the beach. Lion Don started and ran the Lions’ medical equipment loan program out of his home. He has been involved in all Lions activities, most recently the Reuse and Recycle Centre, volleyball tournaments, Santa Claus parades and distribution of our Christmas cakes.

Lion Don Baker is well-known in our community because of his involvement in activities outside of Lion events. He has been president of minor hockey, coached, and served on the North Leeds recreation committee.

Don is one of those people who quietly goes about serving the community without fanfare or seeking recognition. The Westport Lions congratulate Don on this well-deserved honour.

Lions Accepting Funding Requests

It is time to submit applications for funding requests to the Westport Lions Club for fall disbursements. Please complete the application form and send it to the Westport Lions by October 13, 2023.

You can find the funding application form on the Westport Lions website, westportlions.ca. Click on the red link entitled, Application for Funding Requests, and then download an application form for individuals or organizations. You can either print off the form, complete it, and mail it to Westport Lions Club, P.O. Box 428, Westport, ON K0G 1X0, or you can complete the fillable PDF file and email it to westportontariolions@gmail.com.

All requests must be in writing before the club will consider them. Completing a form allows the club to make fair, non-biased decisions that are consistent with the Lions Club mandate and AGCO guidelines.

In recent years we have moved to two donation periods. One is in April and the second one is in October. The two time periods allow us to fairly distribute funds throughout the year. It also helps us to see the big picture in terms of the needs of the community and to prioritize the requests.

All requests should meet at least one of the following general criteria:

Youth mental and physical development with an emphasis on one of five Lion’s Pillars – Vision, Diabetes, Hunger, Environment, or Childhood Cancer.
Senior’s mental and physical well-being with an emphasis on one of the same five Lion’s Pillars.
Relief of pain, suffering, and financial hardship due to illness or disaster.
Purposes beneficial to the community.

To ensure the value of our donation dollars is maximized, priority is given to causes that support many individuals as opposed to a single recipient. In terms of community requests, the club considers how the donation will be beneficial to the community.

The Reuse and Recycle Centre will be having its end-of-season blowout sale on Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Prices will be slashed to reduce inventory. Don’t be disappointed and miss out on some outstanding savings.

The Westport Lions Club 2024 Cash Calendars are now available from Lion members. The calendars cost $20 each or six for $100. Last year the 1,000 calendars sold quickly, so if you wish to purchase a calendar you should act promptly.

Lion Jim McGlade and his Lion team will be conducting vision screening at St. Edward School on October 10 and Rideau Vista on October 13. Every year this valuable service identifies students that should make an appointment with an optometrist. Some eye problems can be corrected if the young person is treated early. The Westport Lions continue to collect all types of eyeglasses. Please do not include cases because they add unnecessary weight to shipping the glasses to Ghana.