Lions Club dollars continue to play an impactful role in the community

The Whitecourt Lions Club has proudly operated the Whitecourt Lions Campground for years
and uses the money it makes to support regional, non-profit organizations and clubs. The club
has donated to the Whitecourt Food Bank, the Whitecourt Christmas Hamper, KidSport
Whitecourt, the Whitecourt & District Agricultural Society, Whitecourt Teen Centre, Wellspring
Family Resource & Crisis Centre, Community Lunch Box Society, Girl Guides, BGC, Tennille’s
Hope Soup Kitchen, and the Whitecourt Cancer & Wellness Society, to name a few. They have
also helped support fire and flood victims.
The dollars raised from summers of fun-filled camping have gone a long way to support the
community, including some tidbits from the time capsule that many will remember but some may
not know. In the late 1950s, when A.J. Millar was the Chief of the Whitecourt Fire Department,
the Whitecourt Lion’s Club helped raise funds to build the community’s fire hall, which still
stands on the original site.
Volunteers that make up the board of the Whitecourt Lions Club are entrenched in the
community and like to put dollars towards things that have an impact. One of the non-profits that
the Lion’s Club helps regularly is the 721 Hawk Squadron Whitecourt Air Cadets. Each year, the
club donates dollars towards the program.
On Wednesday last week, Bob Bell, long time member of the Whitecourt Lion’s Club (28 years)
and second vice president, happily handed over this year’s $10,000 cheque. “We love seeing
what this program does for the kids. That’s why we want to keep supporting it. It helps the kids
be better in life and meet new people and do different things like camping, range, and
volunteering,” said Bell.
“They get to learn lots of stuff, and it has helped a lot of kids. We have been supporting them for
many years. I’m not sure how long. It’s been a long time,” he added. Bell’s son was one of the
youths supported through the cadet program, having aged out several years ago. “When he
started, he was shy and wouldn’t talk. Once he went to camp for the first time, he returned as a
completely different person. The Commanding Officer asked where my son went because he
came back talking and wasn’t shy. He was taking charge. Mark was a new person. He went to
camp for two more years and became a Warrant Officer First Class. He went all the way to the
top rank,” explained Bell.
Seeing the changes in his son showed Bell how important it was to keep the air cadets program
going. “Helping them keeps the program going and keeps the lights on. Without support, they
wouldn’t be going.” Bell continues volunteering with the 721 Hawks even though his son has
been out of the program for several years. “I plan on doing it for years yet,” he said.
Captain Mitchell Krasey, pictured, was pleased to accept the cheque alongside parent-
committee chair Jay Thebeau (SSC) and Warrant Officer Second Class Lapointe. “The
Department of National Defense does a lot for us, like providing wages for the staff and basic
supports like uniforms and some equipment, but there are things they don’t supply. Thanks to
local sponsors like the Lions Club, we can add the extra things we need for a more exciting and
vibrant program. Instead of giving the cadets the basic, plain-Jane meal, we get the extra value
meal with the support from the Lions Club,” explained Krasey.

He said that dollars from the community make the program extra fun and allow the squadron to
partake in things they might not get otherwise, including weekend camping trips, sports days,
and regional get-togethers with other squadrons. “We just had a gliding weekend at the start of
October where the whole squadron went up to Grande Prairie, and each cadet got two glider
flights each. That was a unique thing. I think of all the cadets we brought, only two or three of
the cadets had actually glided before. It was an exciting program and was enjoyed by all.”
Bell said knowing the kids are getting experiences like that is all the more reason to keep
supporting the Hawks. “I greatly respect all the cadets and the leaders that help them work hard.
We love seeing them improve all the time. I see it more than the other members because I
come down here to watch. I really enjoy watching them work. It’s tremendous. Some go on into
the service, and others go on to great careers because of it.”
Cadets volunteer each spring to help clean up the Lions Campground and prepare it for the
camping season. The group places picnic tables on the sites, picks up branches, sweeps out
sites, and stacks firewood. Volunteerism is a significant part of the cadet program, which is
another reason it aligns with the Lions Club.
“People who camp there are supporting the community with their dollars. We get people from
the States that stay every year because they want to support the club because they know what
we do. We have workers who camp there, too,” said Bell. He added that the club is adding to
the campground this year.
Lions Club International has nearly 1.5 million members in 49,000 clubs. Bell said the local club
is always seeking more community-minded residents to join. “Right now, we have about twelve
members. We would like to have more. Age isn’t an issue. We do other projects around town,
too, and we’ve never turned anyone down.” Clubs and non-profit organizations seeking support
are encouraged to contact the Lions Club.
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The Whitecourt Lions Club has been an impactful community supporter for decades. Dollars
raised through the group’s campground, located by the Forest Interpretive Centre, have helped
support numerous groups and non-profit organizations.