Dwayne Moncur is District Governor of the Lions Club and General Manager for Twin Valley Co-op in Birtle, Man. He explains they have eight or nine Lions Club zones all throughout the province of Manitoba. Moncur is the liaison between the Lions Clubs, executives and Lions Club International. Waskada, Melita, Pipestone and Sinclair are in Zone 6 in the province.
“Lions clubs are as far north as Flin Flon and over to Thompson and down into the Interlake region,” says Moncur. He says they do not represent the Winnipeg areas, as Winnipeg is part of District 11which goes down into Minnesota. “Our district is a fully Canadian district and we are always looking for new members.”
The process is quite simple, as any Lions member can become a sponsor to anyone wanting to join the club. A meeting is held, that potential member makes a decision as to if he/she believes in the cause and if so, an induction ceremony takes place along with a code of ethics, in which that individual becomes a member of the Lions Club.
Moncur is also the raffle chair for Journey for Sight. “We raffle off a 2022 Skidoo Renagade that we buy at Virden Rec and Watersports and there are Lions members and non-members who skidoo to Brandon from Flin Flon or Waskada, wherever they happen to be, and they get pledges and raise money for Lions Foundation of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. If it is a good year, there will be as much as $80,000 donated to the Lions foundation.” Lions’ skidoo raffle prizes in the last few years have been to local winners from Hamiota, Reston and Sinclair.
There are several outlets around different towns and cities where people can drop off their used eyeglasses and from there they go into Winnipeg and from there they are shipped overseas. “One of the pillars of the Lions foundation is the collection of eyeglasses. Millions of pairs of eyeglasses are actually given out to those in need of glasses in countries that don’t have the care,” says Moncur. The glasses are graded, and a country is chosen where people’s eyes are tested and they are given glasses accordingly.
Another unique foundation is the “Blanket Challenge” fundraiser which is a charity event for children with cancer. “It makes kids feel better when they go to the hospital,” says Moncur.
The Ukraine Crisis has been a focusing point for the Lions Club International as well. The Canadian Lions alone donated almost $800,000 to that cause and with the exchange component it still proves to be a substantial contribution.
“We were in a Webinar last night,” adds Moncur, “and Lions from all across Canada joined in. The federal government heavily supports the Red Cross and right now they are matching dollar for dollar for what is going on at the east coast. All of the money that is donated to the Lions, one hundred per cent of that goes to the end user.”
Moncur says he will be in Morden, Man. this coming Friday, Sept. 30 to induct seventeen new members along with twelve or thirteen Leos as well. Leos are the children’s side of the Lions Club, and they are able to join until they are old enough to become a Lion.
They also support Lions Quest which is a program to decrease bullying in school and assists children with low self-esteem.
Moncur says he is also the treasurer for the Lions Club Foundation. He admits they are not very good at promoting what they do. He says if they donate money, they put it on Twitter and Facebook, but it is important for the public to know and see what great work they do Canada wide and internationally as well.
