Lara Lions Club 'We Serve'
Club Profile
The Lions Club of Lara has truly served the community of Lara since 1970. Besides providing immediate assistance in times of crisis, the Club has given financial support to many organisations and individuals. For example, the local St Laurence Community, schools, youth organisations, the elderly requiring handrails, ramps, emergency alarms, and the Duck Ponds School restoration project, where Lions also take part in working bees.
The Lions Club of Lara has also encouraged the talents of youth through its involvement in the annual Youth of the Year project and also takes part in the International Youth Exchange Scheme. Recently, students from Japan, Sweden, Germany and the United States spent some time billeted with families in Lara.
The winds and fires of January 1969 blew some good for Lara. They led to the establishment of our first service club in the town LIONS (Liberty - Intelligence - Our Nations Safety).
The need for community service was recognised by a group of young men who met informally in March 1969 and decided to form a Lions club. Officially sponsored by the Lions Club of Geelong, Lara received its Charter in July 1970. Lions are the largest service organisation in the world with 1.4 million members in countries on every continent.
A Lions community survey in 1975 resulted in the building of the Lara Community Centre and was launched in 1982 with the first Lara Heritage Festival. The Lara Heritage Festival has continued as a bi-annual fun filled event.
Currently some 36 dedicated men and women carry out community projects in Lara such as Clean up Lara, home projects, and care of the needy. Lions projects include assistance with the establishment of Hume Court, Lara Primary School and Community Sports hall, Austin Park passive recreation area and now the upgrade of the Lara Aquatic Centre.
Lions established a Citizen of the Year Award to recognise the movers and shakers in Lara who have made a significant contribution above and beyond reasonable expectation to the Lara and District community.
Lions are focused on improving the Lara
environment by the removal of graffiti and combining with the Lara Tidy
Town clean up efforts, culminating with the community receiving
numerous Tidy Town awards. The Lara Beautification plantings in
partnership with the City of Greater Geelong are resulting in street
tree planting of Lara boulevards.
The Leo Club of Lara was Chartered on Monday 28 May 2007 at the Lara Sporting Club.
The Lions International motto is 'We
Serve'. Membership of Lions provides individuals with the opportunity
to make close friends and at the same time assist the community of Lara.
In November 2006, the Lions Club of
Southport, Queensland accepted our
offer to twin with them. Both Clubs view this as a wonderful
opportunity to exchange information and knowledge concerning community
projects and fundraising.
The Lions Club of Holderness, Yorkshire, England has also accepted an offer to twin with us in February 2007 and correspondence is flowing rapidly between Clubs.
The purpose of twinning is to give clubs from various cultures an opportunity to learn about one another. Through correspondence, the twinning partners actively illustrate the First Purpose of the Association, To create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world.
Although some clubs hold a special ceremony to commemorate a twinning relationship, Lions Clubs International does not require a formal ceremony to be eligible for twinning recognition.
© 2006 Lions Club of Lara Inc. (MD 201
District V2 Region 2 Zone 3). All rights reserved.Hosted by VICNET, a service of the State Library of Victoria