Bossier City’s Lions Club was chartered on September 2, 1927. For 97 years, this service organization has served and volunteered its time to strengthen the Bossier City community. Over the years, city officials, state legislators, doctors, judges, business leaders, and educators have become Bossier City Lions Club members. Lions Club member and secretary, Frank Russell joined the club in 2016 after retiring from his job.
Russell said that members do not receive any money for their service with the club. All money that is raised through the club goes into the community. The Lions Club hosts many events and projects throughout the year to help enhance the lives of Bossier City and Bossier Parish residents.
“Our biggest fundraiser is the Bossier Parish jamboree, and we started doing the jamboree in 1954,” Russell said. It takes over 500 volunteer hours to pull off the Bossier Parish jamboree. As Russell reflected on the 71st jamboree that the Lions Club hosted back in August, he said that the jamboree allows the club to continue its Cub Sight program. The Cub Sight program is sponsored by the Louisiana Lions Eye Foundation. Each year many Head Start and daycare children have their vision screened by the Bossier Lions. Russell participates in these screenings and said that the instrument they use to focus on the child’s pupil will detect if something is wrong with the child’s vision and if the child requires corrective attention. The report that is generated from the screening is highly beneficial to the eye specialist. If low-income families cannot afford the glasses needed for their children, The Bossier Lions will provide them with glasses.
To show support, The Bossier Lions Club uses proceeds from the Bossier Parish football jamboree to support the Bossier Parish high schools.
“We like to support the high schools in the jamboree as much as we can,” said Russell.
A donation goes to the participating schools, is given to the football programs of each of the high schools, and a $1,500 scholarship is awarded each year to one student from each of the schools as well.
“We collect glasses and we have been averaging the last few years a little over two thousand pairs of glasses per year. They are sent to a processing center and they will fix them up. Our glasses in this area are given to Mexico’s Lions Club and they will take those glasses with the prescription and match them with somebody who probably has never had glasses before.” This program is called Lions Recycle for Sight!
If you would like to donate glasses to help support this program you may visit one of the following drop boxes. Sunglasses, reading glasses, and children’s glasses are accepted.
Local Drop Boxes are located in the following Bossier City locations:
Vision For Less, Airline Drive
Walmart Vision Center, Airline Drive
Sam’s Optical Center, Beene Boulevard
The Lions Camp in Leesville, Louisiana is for Louisiana youth with special needs. The Lions Club sends special needs children to this camp free of charge.
“The Lions Camp is a cool camp during the summer. The campers participate in all the cool things. We pay for it and the nice thing is that parents with special needs children need a break and they get a break while knowing their children are safe and well taken care of, it’s very heartwarming,” said Russell.
In addition to the many projects and programs the Bossier Lions execute each year, they also support many other organizations in the area such as the Bossier Parish 4-H, Ring the Bell with the Salvation Army, and keep Bossier Beautiful.
When asked what is the biggest benefit of being a member of the Bossier Lions Club, Russell said, “The biggest benefit is the feeling you get when you go to daycare and you screen kids and you find something that is going on and you’re able to notify the parents. There is always a story when you return to the daycare the next year and the kid comes up to you with glasses and is excited about their glasses. They are always so cute. It’s also heartwarming when you get a call from someone in need and you’re able to help them out.”
If you would like to become a member of the Bossier Lions Club and help serve the Bossier community you can inquire about a membership by reaching out to the Bossier Lions Club Facebook page. If you message the page Russell will get back to you with the information needed to join.
“Anyone willing to roll up their sleeves and work towards serving the community is always welcome,” said Russell.
Bossier City Lions Club
Lions Hut 716 Bearkat Drive Bossier City, LA 71111
BOSSIER CITY LIONS CLUB MESSAGE LINE: 318-747-9444
Facebook: Bossier City Lions Club
Meetings: Every Thursday at Noon