The Olney Lions ClubThe Olney Lions Club is proud to announce that it was the recipient of the Greater Olney Civic Association's 2020 Howard J. Garber Citizen of the Year Award. We received this award in recognition of our decades of work helping people and organizations in the Olney area. Great work Lions!
The Olney Lions Club (OLC) has been serving the greater Olney, Maryland community since 1972. The OLC provides needed assistance to organizations and individuals in the Olney area while maintaining a collegial atmosphere where the men and women who are members of our club can meet their neighbors and establish new friendships as they serve their community. The results of OLC work are magnified as it helps support Lions Clubs International, the world's largest service organization with more than 46,000 clubs in over 200 countries. Supporting Olney is a Team Effort Being a member of the Olney Lions team is a win-win proposition. The greater Olney community benefits directly from the work we do and the assistance we provide. At the same time, each Olney Lion gets the personal satisfaction of knowing that he or she has contributed to improving Olney and helping their neighbors. Imagine seeing the joy on the faces of children at Christmas receiving toys and gifts you provided; hearing the profound thanks of a parent whose vision impaired child has received the gift of an examination and eyeglasses; hearing the laughter and seeing the smiles of the youngsters at Lions Camp Merrick, the Lions’ summer camp in Charles County, Maryland or for children with diabetes and visual and hearing impairments .That’s the sound of joy! Having Fun Together The Olney Lions Club is a very social organization where you get together with your friends and make new friends. At monthly meetings, our members meet for dinner and conversation and listen to a short presentation on a topic of local interest. The OLC also holds an annual Holiday Party, a June dinner, and a Summer Picnic. However, the best way to enjoy the company of your fellow members is by working at various club events and serving on organizing committees for our fund raising activities. Volunteer Opportunities That Accommodate Your Needs The Olney Lions Club provides very flexible opportunities for volunteer work. Each OLC activity has a coordinator who solicits volunteers as the event approaches. Members who are available to help sign up to work, so each member decides which activities they wish to work on, coordinators ensure there are enough workers for each activity. This enables members to participate more actively when they have time available and less actively when they are busy. What We Do Our club assists the Olney community in numerous ways. We provide direct financial assistance to more than 20 charitable organizations and assist numerous other organizations with their charitble events. The OLC has responsibility for maintaining part of Georgia Avenue in the Adopt-A-Highway program and has participated in the Rebuilding Together program. We also provide eye and ear testing at several Olney events. Click here to see a list of organizations supported by the OLC. We continually try to be aware of the needs of our community and address those needs. The club collects old eye glasses for redistribution, if you have any, they can be dropped of at Olney Opticians in Olney. The club will also provide an eye checkup and glasses to needy students in the Olney area. If a student wishes to see if he/she qualifies, contact us using our email address below. One of the service projects of which we are especially proud is "Toys for Local Kids", which collect toys and distributes them to local children in need at Christmas. Click here to learn more about this worthwhile project. The Olney Lions Club runs the Toys for Local Children program which provides toys for children ages newborn to 16 for organizations or families in need during the holidays. If you would like to donate a toy and need help with ideas for what to give, here is an Amazon wishlist link with suggestions. Please scroll through the entire list. There are lots of ideas. Feel free to buy other items as well and from other retailers. All gifts are welcome! Gifts should be placed in the toy collection boxes in locations throughout the greater Olney area from Nov 17th to Dec 20th. Please remove any Amazon packing. Thanks for your generosity. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3EOX0P7KE5U8G?ref_=list_d_wl_lfu_nav_2 The club also provides medical equipment such as wheel chairs, walkers, etc. for people who request them. Contact us via the email address below if you need medical equipment or have some to donate. As a member of Lions Clubs International (LCI), the club assists people stricken by disasters both in the US and world wide and support such efforts as providing seeing eye and service dogs to thousands of people each year. The LCI was founded in 1917 and is best known for helping the blind and those with visual problems, but has since significantly broadened it's scope to include activities that the local clubs deem appropriate. In short, as the Lions motto says "We Serve!" Donations to support the charitable activities of the Olney Lions Club are welcome. Checks should be made payable to the Lions Club of Olney Foundation (a 501(c)(3) charitable organization) and be mailed to the Olney Lions Club, PO Box 1104, Olney, MD 20830. 100% of all funds received are used for charitable purposes. Our Fundraising The Olney Lions Club raises money for it's charitable foundation through fund raising events, primarily the Olney Open Golf Tournament and the Silent Auction both held in September, as well as other smaller events held during the year. In addition to proceeds from direct sales from each event, more than 75 local merchants and professionals help by sponsoring the Golf Tournament. Each year, we hold the OLC Silent Auction (currently online), which offers hundreds of items for bidding. All proceeds from these events go toward supporting our charitable endeavors. Have Fun, Make Friends, Serve Your Community, Join the Olney Lions If you are looking for a way to serve your community in an organization comprised of your neighbors working on a volunteer schedule you determine, please join us as a guest at one of our monthly Tuesday dinner meetings (2nd Tuesday of each month) at the Montgomery Country Club. Joining the Olney Lions is not an expensive undertaking. There is a one time initiation fee of $50 and a yearly fee of $86. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To keep current with club events, Like the Olney Lions Club page on Facebook or go to https://www.facebook.com/olneylions . |