The work of the Sooke Harbourside Lions Club is a generational gift to the community they serve.
The club, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, was sponsored by the Sooke Lions Club in 1982 after club, also known as Sooke Lioness Lions Club assisting them in numerous initiatives supporting positive changes in Sooke and beyond.
The 29 members in the original Sooke Lioness Lions Club bridged through a program with Lions International on Sept. 15, 2003, taking on the name Sooke Harbourside Lions. The club is part District 19, a collection of clubs in B.C., Washington State, and northern Idaho.
The club supports the major service commitments and activities of “Lionism,” said Georgia Medwedrich, Multiple District 19-L diabetes and GST co-ordinator for the Sooke Harbourside Lions Club.
“That includes diabetes awareness particularly, and working with the blind, hearing conservation and work with the deaf, environmental cleanup, childhood cancer, and hunger,” she said.
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The club’s 57 current members organize a duck race on the Sooke River each May to raise funds, collect donations for the Sooke food bank twice a year, sell lottery calendars, do a diabetes awareness day each November, run the concession stand at the ballpark, and collect empties for the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock.
Other initiatives include supporting Dog Guides Canada programs, the Lions Foundation of Canada, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Camp Shawnigan, Santa’s Anonymous, and many 0ther community services.
Everyone in Sooke is familiar with the club and its members not just because of its presence in the community, but because of their distinctive work uniform, a black T shirt which looks like a tuxedo.
“We started wearing those after we did a play as blues sisters at a Lions convention, showing that we are always dressed up,” Medwedrich noted.
Part of her duties as chair of the anniversary committee involve procuring a guest speaker.
While looking into this in 2022, Medwedrich decided to email Dr. Patti Hill, the former vice-president of Lions Clubs International in the hopes of arranging a visit, although she realized it was a long shot considering Hill’s hectic schedule and travel commitments.
“It doesn’t hurt to ask, all she can do is say yes or no,” Medwedrich recalled. ”Well, I almost fell off my chair when she emailed me back immediately and said yes.”
Hill, who now serves as Lions Club International president, will visit Sooke on Dec. 2 and 3 to spend time with Sooke Harbourside Lions Club members.
“This is quite a prestigious honour for the Lions International president to attend and speak at our charter night,” Medwedrich said.