Gabriola Island Lions Club

Chartered in 1975 with Life Member Eric Boulton as charter president, the Gabriola Island Lions Club has been an integral part of our island community serving the needs of all our  residents. By joining the club, you will become a member of an amazing team of individuals that contribute to Gabriola Island and, best of all,  have fun doing so! Become involved with the Lions and experience how gratifying it can be! When you join Lions, you join a global service network. So, at the same time you’re doing local community service, you can also contribute to Lions volunteer efforts around the world. Click the button below and fill out the membership form!


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Your Gabriola Lions Club in Action

Lion Betsy wins the Melvin Jones Fellowship award

Lion Carol reads the accomplishments of the so deserving Lion Betsy
New club president Lion Jon congratulates past president Lion Betsy

Lions Clubs world-wide recognized an outstanding individual, Betsy Banford, by bestowing the Melvin Jones Fellowship award named after its founder Melvin Jones. This award is the highest form of recognition and embodies humanitarian ideas consistent with the nature and purpose of Lionism.  Betsy has has gone above and beyond to serve both our Club and the Community; she is generous, compassionate and hardworking, and truly deserving of this award.  The Melvin Jones Fellowship (MJF) is the backbone of the Lions Club international Foundation.

Betsy has been the backbone of the Gabriola Lions Club for many years serving as President for 5 terms, VP for 2 terms and numerous other positions on the Board of Directors. Her Family has been involved with the Lions Club for many many years. Currently she is our Zone Chair and Lions Quest Chair as well as Facebook Admin and Pancake Breakfast and BBQ Organizer. She also knows where everything is and where everything goes!

We are all so proud of you Betsy!

Gabriola Lions Club upcoming Activities

Ferry Lineup Christmas Hamper Collection – December 2023

The ferry lineup collection is an annual fundraiser by your Gabriola Lions club that, we believe, is the start of the festive season.

All monies collected goes to Christmas Hampers to help bring some joy to those islanders in need of a little more this season.

Thank you to all those who have contributed in the past and thank you to all those that we will see in the next few weeks.

Don’t forget, with technology now, you do not have to donate only cash! 

44th annual christmas gala

December 11th of this year is the annual Gabriola Lions Club Christmas party held, as usual, at the Gabriola Golf & Country Club.

Gabriola Lions Club Recent Activities

Wood Delivery Fall 2023

During the last weekend of September and into the first two weekends of October, the Gabriola Lions Club delivered the last of the split, seasoned firewood to those on Gabriola in need of winter warmth.

 

This Gabriola Lions Club signature program has come to a natural end due to changes in heating technology, an aging club and the huge amount of effort required to buck, split and stack firewood.

 

Many thanks go out to Lion Mike (left in the picture) who championed this worthy cause over the past many years. It was his property that we brought in, bucked, split and stored the wood. And Lion Mike did most of this work himself from getting the wood, having people to buck the logs, organizing the log splitters and the club work parties to getting the names and addresses of those in need of wood.

 

No doubt about it, without Lion Mike, this program would never have lasted as long as it did. Thank you Lion Mike! You made this program a fun and exciting time for the rest of the Lions in this wonderful club!

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Dog Show at the Fall Fair 2023

The PHC (People for Healthy Community) and Gabriola Lions hosted at Dog Show at the Gabriola Commons. I’ve never seen so many canines in one spot, and nary a cat in sight. It was a fun afternoon.

The dog show was a resounding success at this year’s annual Fall Fair held Sunday, Sept 17th. and sponsored by the Gabriola Lions, Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, PHC, and Raven Pet Foods.

After many years without this very fun, family event the laughter and antics left one feeling full of laughter head to toe. Our MC Gerry Stefanson knew how to spin a unique line on each and every dog. We figured 40 dogs rallied one by one in to the ring. All were very polite and their handlers (owners), too!

 

Right: Lions Miriam, Carol and Jude, having just sampled some of the treats they were handing out, are really barking for a show now.

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Concert on the Green 2023

This year’s Concert on the Green was its 25th anniversary and it did not disappoint. Over 1800 people descended on the Gabriola Golf and Country Club’s putting green to take in Gabriola’s own Road Poets and Canada’s fan favourite Tom Lavin and the Legendary Powder Blues Band. The place never stopped shaking as the music was bringing everyone to their feet to groove to the swing of these two great bands,

There was so much going on with this year’s concert including a fabulous 50/50 draw, where one lucky guest won over $3,000, a silent auction table loaded with fabulous donated gift items and, of course, the beer and food tents as well as other booths.

The weather was its usual sunny, summer self and even Tom Lavin took the time to thank the awesome crowd and the event staff:

Hi Bill,

 

Just a note of thanks from us for the great reception on Gabriola.  The crowd was terrific and we thought the volunteers were super. We couldn’t have felt more welcome.

We hope you enjoyed our performance and look forward to the next time our paths may cross.

Please forward my sincere appreciation to all involved, especially Jake Stolz who provided expert technical support.

 

Yours Very Truly,

 

Tom Lavin

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GABRIOLA LIONS WORLD CUP OF GOLF 2023

The annual World Cup of Golf was held at the Gabriola Golf and Country Club on July 21st if this year where over 200 people joined in the commandry and jocularity of this wildly popular event.

Not only was there some competitive golf played out for some great prizes, there was some fabulous food and door prizes as well.

Net proceeds go to the Gabriola Lions Foundation where it is then returned to the many island groups and charities of Gabriola Island.

 

Left: Team Yellow, lead by Lions Olga and Dixon, await the traditional firing of the gender reveal cannister to start the tournament. 

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Traditional End of Year Summer BBQ

On July 11th, 2023, the Gabriola Lions Club members descended on the property of our hosts, Lions Shirley and Ken, for the 24th annual, end of year BBQ and rave.

 

Lion Jon’s BBQ skills did not disappoint as the homemade burgers by Lion Shirley were juicy and tender and even all of Lions Ken’s abundant tomato slices that he brought found their way into the buns, along with processed cheese, pickles and all the other fixings.

 

Amongst the enormous amount of  jocularity and hijinks, there was also some business to be done such as the introduction of the 2023/2024 board of directors and much discussion of the upcoming projects for the new year.

 

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21st Annual Summer Pancake Breakfast

Once again, the Gabriola Lions were back in action serving up Gabriola’s favourite breakfast at this year’s wildly successful Cultivate festival held at the Gabriola Commons July 9th. 

 

The Lions served up delicious, custom made (if you were one of the lucky ones) fluffy pancakes, expertly grilled sausages by the world famous “Sausage Kings”, velvety scrambled eggs, coffee, juice and all the fixings like syrup.That plus a huge amount of loving smiles given away for free guaranteed a mouth watering breakfast event that was the start of a beautiful day.

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We really thank all those who came out to enjoy the feast and make us feel proud to serve our wonderful community.

All monies collected go right back to supporting our island needs.

 

Left: Lion Jude admires how Lion Dixon was able to make a bear pancake look like a real human heart.

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Walk for Dog Guides May 28th 2023

Thanks to Lions Carol and Jude for making the annual Dog Guides walk a huge success.

A great day it was on Sunday, May 28th where we rallied at Twin Beaches, Gabriola for our annual Dog Walk. We can attest to the fact that in Canada, we finish our walk with a beach frolic. So appreciated by the dogs, and their families we estimated 60 – 70 dogs finished the walk. Mike Phillips, a Lion for many years, started the additional beach frolic with his three dogs, and it has continued year after year.

Our final total raised is $5760.00 to the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides.

Donations from our participants were $3760 plus the Gabriola Lions donation at $2000 = $5760 to the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides. I huge round of appaws!

The event was an accumulation of actual cash donations by walkers, and even some who didn’t walk but did a drive by with a fist of $20’s for us. 

Thank you to all the Gabriola Lion volunteers that ensure this fun event takes place and special thanks too to all the businesses that advertised this event for us. Well Done!!

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The Gabriola Lions Club Key Programs

Vision Program

Vision

The Gabriola Lions Club has taken on one of the core Lions programs, vision in a whole new direction. Besides collecting used glasses for re-furbishing and re-distribution and the early vision screening of students at our Gabriola Elementary School, we have taken on the guide dogs as a major program. Former club secretary, Lion Carol has been selected by our local district as the representative for everything related to the outstanding Guide Dogs of Canada initiatives.

Medical Clinic

Our Clinic

The Gabriola Island Lions Club has supported our community medical clinic since its inception. Today, the Lions maintain the property landscaping, fund critical medical equipment and any other services required.

Our Community

Community

The Gabriola Island Lions Club provides funding and services to our community including the PHC, the community hall, the elementary school PAC, scholarships for graduating Gabriola students, the agricultural hall and the Gabriola museum among many, many others.

lions at work

Who are the Lions?

The International Association of Lions Clubs, headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, is an organization of distinct, independent, service clubs, such as the Gabriola Lions Club.

Founded in 1917, Lions Clubs International is one of the oldest service club organizations in the world; It is the largest, and the most active, community service organization in the world; It is an organization whose basic cause has bound Lions clubs together for generations. There are now more than 46,000 Lions Clubs and 1,400,000 Lions located in 210 countries and geographic areas worldwide.

Meet Some of Your Lions

lion eric

Lion Eric Boulton – Lifetime Member and Charter President of the Gabriola Lions. Fun fact: Back in the 60’s his band, Eric Boulton and the Animals, had some big hits on the Billboard charts.
lion dixon

Dixon Kenny – recent recipient of the prestigious Judge Brian Stevenson Fellowship award. Dixon is also obsessed with eradicating Scotch Broom on the island as well as his neighbours.

lion john

Lion John Coleman – recipient of the Centennial Gold Pin and one of the best guys you would ever meet. John is what a Lion is all about. His dedication and humour is paramount!

lions betsy & mike

Lion Mike Phillips receiving the Gold Centennial Pin from President Lion Betsy in front of some of the firewood that we provide to anyone in need of winter warmth and a very supportive and vocal Golden Retriever. Thank you Mike for taking our signature club program to being what Lions are all about.

Key Lions Service Activities

Lions support sight programs and services including vision screenings, eye banks and eyeglass recycling, and provide eye care services to those at risk of losing their sight. From providing health programs that focus on hearing loss to supporting efforts to control and prevent diabetes, Lions volunteers are working to improve the health of children and adults around the world. By providing volunteer opportunities and leadership experiences, and in sharing a message of peace through an annual Peace Poster contest, Lions invest in the future by reaching out to young people. From performing hands–on community work and service projects to providing emergency assistance, Lions participate in community and environment programs that improve our communities and protect the environment.

No matter where located or how designated, all Lions are bound by a common spirit, united in helping those less fortunate. Our motto is simple: “We Serve”.

hunger

Hunger

We serve to improve human flourishing. We see how the global hunger and nutrition crisis bears upon our local communities, and believe true community improvement depends on the thriving of its members. Lions and Leos serve to improve human flourishing, and we see how the global hunger and nutrition crisis bears upon our local communities. We believe community improvement depends on the thriving of its members.

Our strategic objective is to ensure all community members have access to nutritious foods.

environment

Environment

The earth sustains human life. We’ve seen how our stewardship of natural resources can improve quality of life and increase engagement in our local communities. Our environment is more than a background: it’s our home. And we’re committed to caring for it. Lions and Leos serve to strengthen the relationship between the community and its environment. We’ve seen how our stewardship of natural resources can improve quality of life and increase engagement in our local communities.

Our strategic objective is to sustainably protect and restore our environment to improve the well-being of all communities.

diabetes

Diabetes

The International Diabetes Federation reports that 1 in 2 people with diabetes are undiagnosed. Lions recognize the needs of the world are changing, and have championed the cause of diabetes to better serve both our communities and the world. Serving in diverse communities all over the world, we see and feel the effects of diabetes and are doing something about it together.

Our strategy is to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and improve quality of life for those diagnosed.

vision

Vision

Lions are known throughout the world for their work to improve the lives of the visually impaired and prevent avoidable blindness. LCIF proudly serves their continued efforts by offering unique and impactful initiatives, programs and grants. We have a long history of serving the blind and visually impaired, and remain committed to continuing this mission into our next century of service.

Our strategic objective is to prevent avoidable blindness and improve quality of life for people who are blind and visually impaired.

childhood cancer

Childhood Cancer

LCIF provides funding support to Lions and has developed strategic partnerships to help improve outcomes for children with cancer. Lions and Leos provide support for the needs of children and families affected by childhood cancer through impactful service activities. Lions and Leos provide support for the needs of children and families affected by childhood cancer through impactful service activities.

Our plan is to increase acts of support to families and children affected by childhood cancer and to improve diagnostics, treatment, and continued care to those affected by childhood cancer.