Fonds MLC - Milo Lions Club fonds

The Milo-Queenstown Lions Club, later called the Milo Lions Club, received its charter in April 1955, having been sponsored by the Vulcan Lions Club. There were 42 charter members, and the first executive was made up of Charles Carson, Mel Schaub, Gordon Ivers, Ray Bertrand, Tom Clarke, Joe Thomson Jr. and Ray Gerding. As a member of Lions International many of its service projects over the years have been dictated by the parent organization, but the majority of its efforts, both long-term and short, have been focused on the Milo community.

Two of their first projects have proven to be their longest-running; the construction, ongoing upkeep, and maintenance of Milo Lions Park and its children’s playground, and also the upkeep and maintenance of Milo’s two cemeteries. In 1973 they arranged for the erection of an archway at the East Cemetery with the words “O Perfect Peace”, which is now often used as the name of the cemetery. Other major undertakings have included the building of a baseball diamond in 1992 and the creation of a new Veterans Memorial in 2005. The Lions were also instrumental in the construction of a new community hall, completed in 1985. On a smaller scale, the Milo Lions have regularly assisted other community organizations with building repair and refurbishing, and have frequently provided funds for hall and equipment rental.

The Milo Lions have long-hosted community events for the Village of Milo, with summer activities including pancake breakfasts, a weekend-long community campout, the Lions Race Meet and a BBQ, while the fall and winter months have seen pancake suppers, marksmanship competitions, dances and Fun Casinos. Since 1993 the club has participated in provincially-regulated casinos, which have provided a major source of revenue. All funds raised have gone to support a long and varied list of projects and causes, from first-responder initiatives to the spring clean-up of widows’ yards; from the sponsorship of a Courtesy Car service providing weekly transportation to the town of Vulcan, to the payment of funeral expenses for a community member. The Lions regularly provide funds for local school field trips, events and awards, fund a summer student assistant for the Milo Library Archives, and have often, through the 4H Auction, purchased a calf raised by an area youth. Members have hosted visiting international students, and provided support to Milo-area students to enable their participation in athletic and leadership activities on local, provincial and national levels.