Lions Plan Euchre Tournament Fund Raiser for March

To fill his days as a volunteer after retiring from the human resources department at AAA Michigan in 2003, Canton Township resident Gene Hammonds looked for a group that would allow him to help people the best way possible – and he picked the Canton Lions Club.

Eight years later, Hammonds, now 71, is the Canton Lions president. The club is comprised of  45 members, mostly township residents who make it their mission to help people in the area with impaired vision and hearing.

To do this, the club hosts fund raisers and contributes to Michigan-based organizations that have the same goal. For example, the Lion’s next fundraiser is a euchre tournament, set for March 12 at 6 p.m. at the Plymouth Elks Club, 41700 Ann Arbor Road in Plymouth. The public is strongly encouraged to attend, Hammonds said. Admission is $25 per person, or $20 pre-registered.

“Our motto is ‘We serve.’ We want to help people to see and hear, and every penny we raise goes toward these objectives,” Hammonds said. “We’ve paid for eye surgery to restore people’s vision. We pay a local doctor who provides exams and glasses to the needy.”

Canton Lions meet at 7 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month, at the one-room schoolhouse at Cherry Hill and Ridge roads. Membership dues at $70 per year. Hammonds said membership fluctuates between 30 and 50 members, and includes Township Supervisor Phil LaJoy. Hammonds said the group has been growing lately. “We’re adding members, we have a pretty good network,” he said.

Perhaps the best-known fundraiser hosted by the 43-year-old club is the annual pancake breakfast at a big tent before and after Canton’s Liberty Fest parade each summer. The Canton Lions' tent can be found on Ford Road, east of Sheldon Road.

The Lions also host an annual corn roast in August at Cherry Hill and Ridge roads, where they offer hearing tests. Members solicit donations at Holiday Market and Kroger in April and November, and the Lions also run the Recycle for Sight program at six locations in the township, where people can donate their unused eyeglass frames.

Canton Lions sponsor a $1,000 college scholarship program. Hammonds said the recipient must either have impaired vision or hearing, or be going to attend a program that would help in that field. Brianna Corcoran, a Canton High School senior who attends Central Michigan University, has been awarded the scholarship for two consecutive years. Applications are available from club, and are typically due in mid-March.

Besides direct support, the club donates to groups that assist with impaired vision and hearing, such as Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester, Lions Bear Lake Camp north of Lapeer, Madonna Unversity Lions Hearing Program, Michigan Eye-Bank and Penrickton Center for Blind Children in Taylor.

The Canton Lions Club is affiliated with Lions Club International, which boasts 1.4 million members in 193 countries. Those interested in joining the Canton club, can connect by visiting the club's website.