Every year, the Fraser River Valley Lions Club invests in the community by awarding grants to local and statewide nonprofits. This year $48,100 was awarded to 26 nonprofits through a competitive grant process. The services these local and state-wide nonprofits provide ranges from food banks, to quilts for our military veterans. 

The primary focus of this year’s awards were the areas of early childhood education, family health and food security. Recipients for these focus areas were Mountain Family Center, Grand Beginnings, four of the local preschool programs, Shining Stars, Habitat for Humanity, Grand County Rural Health and Grand County Advocates.

Other local recipients included Pet Pals, KFFR Radio, Girl Scouts, Peaks ‘n Pines Quilt Guild, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre, Upper Colorado Watershed Environment Team, Grand County Library District, Grand Concerts and the Grand County Historical Association. Statewide organizations receiving grants were Rocky Mountain Eye Institute, Lions Eye Bank, Lions Camp and KidSight.

In addition to these grants, the Lions Club provides free eye exams and glasses for 50 local residents every year. This program is done in partnership with Mountain Family Center, the school nurses from both East and West Grand School districts, and Winter Park Optical. The Lions Clubs also invests in our community through scholarships for graduating high school seniors from both schools, and continuing education scholarships for our preschool teachers.

The motto of the Lions Club is “We Serve.” People join the Lions Club simply because they want to give back to their community. The Lions Club is the largest service organization in the world, with over a million members. It’s not political, religious, or oriented to business. 

The local Fraser River Valley Lions Club makes a point of having fun and making friends, while at the same time serving the community. If you are interested in learning more, check out their website at FraserValleyLions.org.