Lions Club to host meatroll fundraiser

Written By ALYSSA PARKHILL

On Feb 29 at Caledon Village Place, The Caledon Lions club will be hosting their annual event, The Big Bob Memorial Meatroll and Silent Auction to raise funds for local communities' activities.

The Caledon Lions Club is a member of the international Lions Club with millions of members from around the world. Lions Club International is the world's largest club organization dedicated to serving and supporting their communities. With more than 45,000 clubs world-wide in over 206 counties, Lion Club International share the same values which is to serve their community. They are known to be the ‘Global Leader in Humanitarian Service'.

“We do a lot of fundraisers for very specific activities like Meals on Wheels, the Bethell House, Caledon Community Services, those types of things. We can have as many of those kinds of fundraisers we want in a year,” explained David Cunningham, President of the Caledon Lions Club. “90 per cent of the money we raise goes back to the community of Caledon.”

The club continuously are looking for new ways to give back. They even went as far to make a generous donation to help with the wildfires in Australia. 

The international portion of the club is involved in helping specific organizations for visually impaired, children who suffer from diseases and cancer. Wherever the international club is involved, so are the Caledon Lions. 

The Caledon Lions Club was first chartered in 1971, and still have one of the original members till this day at the age of 93. Cunningham has been with the Lions for over 30 years and considers the group his second family. 

“It's important to give back to the community, to that place where you grew up, the place that supported you in those formative periods. As someone once said, it takes a village to get things done and that's the way it is. We get a lot of, I'll call them regulars, they're not members, but the show up at all our events and support us in many ways. They just want to give back,” he said.

The Big Bob Memorial Meatroll and Silent Auction was named after the former club president and former OPP officer Bob Dambrauskas who passed away on the same day as the event in 2015. 

This fundraiser will go on support future upcoming events such as the annual senior's banquet in April. 

“Most of the people we invite are seniors who are in senior care facilities or senior residences. It's an opportunity for them to get out a meet with other people, as we end up 120 people at this dinner,” commented Cunningham.

With a raffle wheel getting spun, prizes of a variety of meat including blackforest ham, peameal bacon and chicken are given out to the winners. Local businesses within Caledon donate items for the silent auction. The event is free of admission and completely open to the public. The theme for this year's event is Mardi Gras. 

The event will take place at the Caledon Village Place at 18313 Hurontario Street beginning at 1 p.m. and going until 7 p.m. 

For more information about the Big Bob Memorial Meatroll and Silent Auction event or the Lions Club, please visit lionsclub.org.