The Lloydminster Lions Club is marking 75 years of service in the community.
Members gathered to celebrate their achievements on Feb. 8 at the Legacy Centre.
For longtime members like Vic Juba, this milestone is special. Juba has been a Lion for 71.5 years and has not missed a meeting in more than 50 years. He paused when asked about why he does it.
“Hopefully, to make things better than when you started, when you leave a legacy behind,” Juba said. “There’s a poem … talking about the bridge builder.”
The poem, explains his outlook on why he’s volunteered for so long. It’s about an old man who builds a bridge across a stream. It ends like this.
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followed after me today,
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been as naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”
To Juba it’s all about giving back after being in the community for so many years. He recounted he was only going to stay for two years because he hated the weather. He had to think back about the club’s greatest accomplishments.
Juba recalled one accomplishment quickly—the creation of Lions Park in 1953.
“It was a big, big project,” he said. “A house was raffled off. The money from that started the park.”
Over the years, the club has left a mark on the city. It built Lions Park, Glendale Park, and Anniversary Park. Members also funded a cataract surgery unit for the local hospital. When the machine became outdated in Canada, it was sent to Guatemala where it’s still used.
“Shovels in the ground, hands in the dirt,” said proud Lion Kathy Smithson. “When you look around the community and see what you’ve done, you can’t beat that feeling.”
Club member Shelley Tatro agreed.
“We mean business,” she said. “Seventy-five years, we’ve been busy.”
The club is not slowing down with plans for a new park underway. The group also continues its diabetes initiative, a cause close to Juba’s heart.
“Sight conservation is a Lions International project,” said Juba. “It’s very connected to diabetes. I hope research will get rid of diabetes and vision loss.”
The Lions Club is also focused on growth. The international organization aims to reach 1.5 million members worldwide.
“We’re always looking for new members,” said Tatro.
For one night, though, the club took time to reflect.
“Tonight’s our night to brag,” said Smithson. “We don’t boast about ourselves very often.”
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