The Salmon Creek Lions Club, sponsored by the Hazel Dell Lions Club, was chartered on February 13, 1982; and its Foundation was established in 2013. Through the years, it has been a committed supporter of the Lions Sight Foundation of Clark County and the Lions Hearing and Speech Conservation Committee of Clark County. Club members have served key roles in each organization, and the Club has been a significant financial supporter to both through the years.

The Club also has contributed funding to numerous causes such as the following:

• Diabetes education programs at Vancouver’s two hospitals.
• PNW camps for diabetic children.
• Leader Dogs for the Blind (a Lions national program) and Guide Dogs for the Blind.
• Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) to support its worldwide humanitarian work.
• CARE International (established in 1945 to fight poverty and world hunger)
• Northwest Lions Foundation (since 1969, improving and restoring sight and hearing throughout the PNW to individuals unable to afford the care and/or equipment).

January

• Throughout the year, collect used eyeglasses to send to Lions’ Eyeglass Recycling Center for use globally
• Vision screening at the City of Vancouver’s annual Homeless Connect event

April/May

• Feeding volunteers at Klineline Kids’ Fishing Event and at the PUD’s Earth Day event
• Spring Flower Sale (fundraiser)

June

• Cooking/serving food at Fire District 6 Open House

July

• Vision Screening at Felida Community’s July 4 Event

August

• Vision Screening at Back-to-School events at Hudson Bay H.S. and Trinity Lutheran Church
• Begin vision screening at EOCF Head Start classes in Clark County (late Aug.-mid Oct.)

September

• Continue vision screening at EOCF classes and at selected ESD112 public schools in SW Washington
• Vision screening at Clark College Multicultural Resource Fair, and the Peace & Justice Fair

October

• Continue vision screening at EOCF/ECEAP, ESD112 and private schools

November

• Continue vision screening
• Wreath Sale fundraiser

December

• Complete schools’ vision screening
• Walk & Knock Food Drive at Fire District 6 site on Hazel Dell Avenue
• Support Neighbors Helping Neighbors by providing food, funds, and gifts for children
• Salvation Army Bell Ringing at Salmon Creek Fred Meyers
• Assist Vancouver Dawn Lions Club set up for Crystal Plum Bazaar

In 2021, the Club initiated a new, COVID-19 appropriate type of project: Offering free paper shredding to the community in May and October. The net proceeds from each occasion will be forwarded to a worthy cause; for example, in January 2020, over $3200 was sent to the Clark County Food Bank! Each event also collects food for the Food Bank.

A major event in the history of the Club occurred in 2015, when the Club acted to initiate a major effort to screen the vision of children of Southwest Washington; using its Foundation which had been established two years prior, as the mechanism to secure funding to underwrite the considerable cost of such a venture. By any measure, the effort has been deemed a success as it has expanded throughout Southwest Washington and involved numerous Lions Clubs in the five counties. Details are provided in the Foundation section. Due to the pandemic, however, such screening was curtailed; instead, the Club offered to loan its vision screening devices to schools and to train their staff to operate the devices. As of September 2021, however, some schools are opting to have students screened by Lions operating under strict health/safety protocols; while other schools continue to utilize the Lions’ loaned equipment.

We welcome community members to join with us at any of the above events as we strive to live out the Lions’ motto of We Serve! Just contact us!