Lions Club Pancake Breakfast Saturday

Nevada Daily Mail

The annual tradition of the Nevada Lions Club pancake day returns Saturday, April 11, at St. Mary's School, located at 330 N. Main, with the event beginning at 7 and going until 11:30 a.m.

The Nevada Lions Club formed in 1924 and actively serves its community with ongoing programs to support local organizations and activities.

Among these are the Vernon County Senior Center, Teen Angels Christmas program, nursing home outreach, sponsoring a Nevada High School scholarship, the Vernon County Youth Fair, Vernon County Cancer Relief, Moore-Few Care Center, the Community Food Pantry, and Moss House for Battered Women.

The club also collects used eyeglasses that are used to provide people in under-served areas in third world countries with corrective lenses. Collected eyeglasses are sorted at recycling centers, cleaned and packaged according to prescription, and then delivered by mission teams to people in need.

The impetus for the Lions Clubs to engage in the eyeglass program, in addition to many other sight and hearing related programs, was Helen Keller, who challenged the Lions Clubs to be "Knights of the Blind" in a speech she gave in 1925.

The Nevada Lions have collected thousands of pairs of eyeglasses over the years with Lion Ron Schowengerdt chairing the local effort. Collection points include a drop box on the north side of the Wal-Mart parking lot as well as boxes located in various businesses around town.

Community members are encouraged to donate their old glasses at the breakfast or at one of the locations around town.

The semi-annual pancake breakfast is a long-standing tradition with the Nevada Lions, who greet friends, family and fellow community members with the pancake breakfast.

It also provides a chance for community members to catch up with seldom seen friends. It isn't unusual to see a family come in, get their breakfast and sit down with one group, then move on to a second or third. There is a cost.

"Participants, both club and community members, can feel good knowing the proceeds help the club fund projects that help both locally and globally," said the club in a press release.

Tickets can be purchased from any Lion or at the Nevada Daily Mail.