History of the Bolingbrook Lions
The Bolingbrook, Illinois Lions Club was chartered as a member of Illinois Multiple District 1B on November 2, 1966. The Westmont Illinois Lions Club was the sponsoring Club.
The first President was Robert G. Jansen. Other charter members included Fred Abene, Terrance Droogan, Randall Forrester, Donald Hallberg, Matthew Hills, Shad Howard, Robert Koenig, Joseph Kovach, Joseph, Morgese, Edward Ohman, Victor Peetom, Lawrence Piklor, Joseph Puma, Joseph Rojek, Andrew Sawicki, William Schlegel, Lowell Spielman, James Vantreace, and John Wolkotte.
Not much history is known about the first 10 to 15 years of the organization. It is known that the Club did sponsor a Leo Club. At some point in time the Club also owned the property where fire station number 2 now sits on Lily Cache Lane. The Club lost the property due to not being able to pay the real estate taxes on the land.
In the late 70’s the Club was near extinction. The Club had fallen from the good graces of Lions International and had accumulated a substantial, for that time, outstanding bill for brooms and other items with the International. Word has it that the charter was going to be pulled due to this bill and a drop in membership.
A small group of people successfully tried to save the Club starting in 1979. This group of people, 6 –8, were able to meet in the conference room of a local real estate office, Remax on Route 53. Among those who were in this group were Ron Baxley, Greg Masters, Bob Marsic, and Jim Thorp. This small group was able to grow to 15 – 18 members by 1981. At that time International was still trying to pull the charter. District Governor Burt Stauffenberg and Past District Governor Ralph Mussman were sent to a meeting that year to inform the Club of the International’s decision. What Governor Stauffenberg and PDG Mussman observed impressed them so much that they persuaded International not to pull the charter.
The Club continued to grow slowly. In 1985 the debt to Lions International was finally paid off with the proceeds from Candy Day. During the period from 1981 to 1986 the Club concentrated on serving the community. We provided 35 – 50 pairs of eyeglasses each year along with one or two hearing aids a year. We also purchased a computer for a visually challenged high school student. This “portable” computer had to be wheeled around on a metal cart from class to class. We started to make other donations in the community but focused mainly on sight & hearing, rejecting almost all other requests for donations both in and out of the community.
By 1986 the Club had grown to between 30 – 40 members. The Club had also begun to question the District and State involvement. At this time we were challenged by then Lt. Governor Dillard Harris to get involved and change things if we didn’t like the way things were being done. As a result, Lion Bob Storrs was asked to serve as Governor Harris’ Cabinet Secretary and Lion Charlie Siefert was asked to serve as Zone 11 Chairman. Lion Storrs served two additional District Governors as Cabinet Secretary and also as Cabinet Treasurer during one of these terms.
Lion Siefert served as Zone 11 Chairman for three years and two additional years as Region 1 Chairman. Lion Bill King also served the District as District 1B Convention chairman for three different governors. It was during this time, 1986-1991, the Club “branched out” and began making donations to the Foundation, International, and other organizations. We also purchased another computer for another high school student as well as eyeglasses and hearing aids for needy residents.
In 1991, when the Club celebrated its 25th anniversary the membership was up to 46 members. The Club continued to provide an average of 45 pairs of glasses and 4 hearing aids per year. During the next several years, more and varied requests for service were honored. We provided two sight-saving eye surgeries to individuals, paid for vehicle repairs for a family with a terminally ill child, donated to other agencies, sponsored local youth organizations, etc. We also purchased and equipped a van to be used by a family with a handicapped teenager, and donated an Optilec reader to a senior citizen. During this period the Club made a multi-year financial commitment to the Park District and had Cherrywood Park renamed Lions Park.
As the Club entered the new millennium membership continued to grow. It fluctuates between 85 – 95 members. We are still providing at least 40 pairs of glasses a year. Hearing aids vary from year to year. In early 2001 the Club purchased an auto-refractor eye-screening machine to better serve the community. We have screened over 400 people that otherwise we would not have been able to serve. In 2008 the Club purchased a tonometer to screen for glaucoma.
Lion Bob Storrs was elected to serve as Vice-District Governor in 2001 and in 2002 to serve as District Governor. Lion Siefert served the District as Cabinet Secretary for Lion Storrs, Cabinet Treasurer for two terms, and as District Governor for 2006-2007. Lion Rick McHale served as Zone Chairperson and Cabinet Treasurer before serving as District Governor for 2008-2009. Lion Paul Benetazzo served on the District 1B Cabinet as Zone Chairperson for three terms, Region Chairperson, Cabinet Treasurer and was District Governor during the 2011-2012 Lion year. Lion Siefert will once again be serving as District Governor for a new, larger District in 2015-2016.
To date the Club has named 21 Lions Clubs International Foundation Melvin Jones Fellows and 38 Lions of Illinois Foundation Fellows with more planned. There are also three progressive Melvin Jones Fellows in the club.
The Bolingbrook Lions Club budgets, and spends, $6,000 a year just for sight and hearing related services to the needy residents of Bolingbrook. Until March 2009 they also served Romeoville since there was no Lions Club there. The Club was the sponsoring club for the new Romeoville Lions Club. In addition the Lions provide scholarships to students who will work in the field of Special Education or human services. The Lions sponsor several local youth groups (T-Ball, BYBL, BALL, BCB, Boy Scout Troop 66, etc.), the Bolingbrook Leo Club, CRIS Radio (radio broadcasts for the blind), Leader Dogs, Operation Christmas, DuPage Township Food Pantry, Camp Lions for the Blind, and many more.
The Lions hold health screenings for seniors, work with the schools in the area of sight and hearing (two recent screenings at middle schools resulted in 67 out of 87 children being referred for vision problems), and conduct sight, hearing, and diabetic screenings for residents.
The Lions collect used eyeglasses and hearing aids that are reconditioned and distributed worldwide, free of charge to those in need, by Lions International. The Bolingbrook Lions also help support a blind beeper baseball team, the Chicago Comets.
In June we invite blind beep baseball Teams from around the country to our beep baseball tournament in Bolingbrook. 2023 will be our 22nd consecutive year of hosting the tournament, which is now a Premier Regional tournament for the National Beep Baseball Association.
To do all of this the Lions have several fundraising events throughout the year. The Lions hold their annual golf outing every year. The Lions also hold a St. Patrick’s dinner/dance, sell Sight & Sound sweepstakes tickets, snow-cones at the Village picnic and pop at the Jubilee. Beginning in 2014 we took over as the sponsoring organization for the Memorial Day Carnival in Bolingbrook.