Naperville Lions Have Successful Fund Raising Events

In what was thought to be a very difficult year due to COVID-19, the Naperville Noon Lions Club have completed a successful annual raffle and virtual 5K turkey trot thanks to the support of the citizens of Naperville and surrounding communities. On December 1st State Representative Grant Wherli was on hand to draw the winning raffle tickets from 3,000 tickets sold and between November 14th and November 29th over 1,350 runners ran the course of their choice with many of them running on Thanksgiving morning.

The raffle grand prize of $3,000 went to Dan Smith of Lisle. He said he was very surprised as he usually never wins anything. Dan is retired and has supported the Lions and the raffle for the last 8 years. He intends to use the proceeds to support some of his favorite charities in the area. In addition, turkey trot participants reported their time, pictures and stories which have been posted on the Lions web-site. Each registered participant received a long sleeve running shirt and a 2020 commemorative decal.

As a result of these two events, plus Candy Day collections and the sale of poinsettias the Lions where able to raise approximately $60,000 to continue their Social Service Program into 2021. Without this support the lions programs would have been greatly curtailed. The Lions Social Service Program provides eye examinations, eye glasses and hearing examinations for children and adults, at no cost, to those individuals that cannot afford this type of service.

Lion President Donna Kearney stated that it took a lot of "out of the box" thinking and planning by all members of the Club to complete these fund-raising events. We were hesitant to even start these events due to the coronavirus she said, but these events turned out to be far more successful than we ever expected.

Organized in 1948, the Naperville Noon Lions Club is a member club of Lions Clubs International and made up of local men and women who want to make a difference in the community. For more information about the Lions visit www.napervillenoonlions.org or call 630-364-3922.