At the May 4 North Royalton Lions Club Poor Man’s Raffle event, one thing was different while another remained very much the same.
The event – always a success in raising thousands of dollars for Lions Club charities – was co-chaired by newly inducted member Anton Krieger, a 2018 graduate of North Royalton High School and the youngest member not just in the local club, but its district as well, which is District 13, comprised of 60 Lions Clubs scattered throughout Ohio, said President Dan Lester of the North Royalton Lions Club.
Co-chairing the major fundraising event was a welcome opportunity for 19-year-old Krieger, also a candidate for the Ward 1 City Council seat. In the days leading up to the Raffle, Krieger was hard at work setting up tables, chairs and readying the location for the event, held at the newly remodeled and reconstructed Valleaire Golf Club on Boston Road.
“I think it’s really important for people to give back to their communities,” Krieger said. “Our service organizations here are very important and I never really saw younger people stepping up to join and I wanted to be a part of that giving back.”
Giving back is top priority for local Lions Club members, whose service work includes the construction of the gazebo on the City Green, the picnic shelter and deck at Memorial Park, and the flag memorial at the North Royalton Cemetery. The North Royalton Lions Club also awards four yearly scholarships to graduating NRHS seniors, hosts breakfasts for veterans, assists local families in need, maintains eyeglass collection boxes at various sites, helps light and decorate the city during holidays, among many other service projects.
A local chapter of Lions Club International, recognized as the largest service organization with close to 50,000 local clubs throughout the world, the North Royalton Lions Club is focused on vision service work, which Lions Club International is best known for. The club sponsors a Braille note-taker at North Royalton High School, ships eyeglasses all over the world, operates eye clinics and gives to Pilot Dogs Columbus, training dogs to guide the blind and visually impaired. The Poor Man’s Raffle raises money for the Lions Eye Clinic, the Ohio Lions Eye Research Foundation, the Greater Akron Lions Eyecare Program and a handful of other organizations. Tickets to the popular event cost $25 and included a delicious meal of barbequed ribs, chicken and various sides, including a vegetarian option. Attendees also had their share of fantastic raffle baskets and sideboards. The event sold 110 tickets.
Andy Kolbus, a Lions member for 45 years, and his wife, Eve, a longtime member of its female counterpart, the Royalton Hills Lions Club, assisted with the Poor’s Man Raffle event.
“I joined because I wanted to give back and I wanted to serve my community,” Andy said of his decision to join 45 years ago.
Eve shared his sentiment.
“I love all my fellow Lions members and I love how community oriented we all are,” she said. “We are working towards goals that I consider to be important for helping the community and its members.”
Attendee Faith DaFonseca said she always enjoys the comradery at the raffle and the fact that proceeds go towards helping others.
“I really believe in what they do, with providing help with vision, diabetes, hunger and their many other focus areas,” she said. “They really do fantastic things.”
By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer