by Dennis Dalman
At the close of each year, the St. Joseph Lions Club likes to recognize publicly all of its volunteers, other organizations and donors, including so many businesses in the city and throughout the area.
Those connections comprise a thriving mutual-support network that not only helps people locally and far and wide but also creates and maintains bonds that strengthen St. Joseph and its residents.
The St. Joseph Y2K Lions club initiates those same kinds of bonds. That organization was founded by women members of the St. Joseph Lioness club. They changed their name shortly before the 20th Century turned into the 21st Century, at midnight of the year 2000. Y2K stands for “Year 2000.”
There are 49 members of the St. Joseph Lions and 15-plus members of the Y2K Lions, said Jim Waggoner during a recent interview with the Newsleaders. Waggoner is membership director and president of the St. Joseph Lions, an organization that began in 1966.
The longest-serving Lions member is Jim Kueblebeck of St. Joseph with 60 years of service. Many members of the St. Joseph club live west of St. Joseph or in St. Joseph Township.
Jim Waggoner
Before becoming a St. Joseph Lion in 2017, Waggoner, a Sartell resident, had been a member of the Sartell Lions from 1999-2017 at which time he became what’s known as a “transfer member” to the other club.
Waggoner noted the Lions clubs in the area collaborate well together and team up on many projects. Those area clubs include the Lions of Sartell, LeSauk Township, St. Stephen and, of course, St. Joseph. A good example of that is the widely acclaimed all-inclusive playground in Sartell Lions Park for which much money was raised to make it a reality for children throughout the area, many of them physically challenged. The four area clubs mentioned above all worked hard to make that dream come true, with full support from the Sartell-St. Stephen School District.
The Lions hold their meetings in the shelter at St. Joseph’s Millstream Park.
Lions’ missions
Lions Club International was founded in 1917, before the end of World War I in 1918.
At one time, many years ago, the Lions clubs throughout the United States and beyond were known mostly for working to help people with poor vision or other eye problems. Gradually, that mission was extended to many other pursuits: improving health and well-being, strengthening communities in so many ways, giving grants and scholarships, disaster response, environmental preservation, programs for childhood cancer, supporting those in need and encouraging peace and understanding.
Lions Clubs International, with its motto “We Serve,” now has 1.4 million members in 49,000 clubs that serve people in more than 200 countries.
Connections
When Waggoner spoke about how the St. Joseph Lions work with so many other organizations, businesses and community programs, he wasn’t kidding. The sheer extent of those interconnections is staggering. They include fundraisers at businesses, contributions to civic groups (Boy Scouts, St. Joseph Jaycees, for just two examples), the other Lions clubs, city recreation projects, working with churches, police departments, the Chamber of Commerce, Dollars for Scholars and so many others that – combined – help to make everyone safer, healthier and happier.
Waggoner singled out Lions member Fran Court for special praise.
“He is a source of so much historical information – just an unbelievable wealth of information – about the church, the American Legion and the history of the Lions,” Waggoner said.
Raising funds
The St. Joseph Lions have donated to good causes $1.4 million since its founding in 1966, and other than business-related expenses, all raised funds were given back to the community in one way or another, Waggoner noted.
“The financial support for the Lions is absolutely amazing,” Waggoner said.
The two Lions clubs in St. Joseph raise funds from pull-tab sales at local businesses (bars, restaurants), from meat-package raffles and from hot-dog/brat sales, especially the one every week from spring until November at St. Joseph Meat Market.
Good deeds galore
The following are just some of the good deeds mentioned by Waggoner that the St. Joseph Lions, in conjunction with others, have contributed to the city and the area.
• As in years before, the group sponsored the Fourth of July Parade in downtown St. Joseph.
• A contribution of $3,000 each to the two churches in the city – Resurrection Lutheran and the Catholic church.
• Fundraising fish-fry at the American Legion.
• Ongoing pull-tab operations and other fundraising activities, such as meat raffles, at several places such as at Sal’s Bar, the Midi bar, LaPlayette and Krewe restaurant.
• Fish Fry at the American Legion and other places.
• Volunteer work and contributions to the annual “Rock 4 Alzheimer’s” at Bad Habit Brewing Company and at the annual JoeTown Rocks event downtown.
• Contributions to the city’s Dollars for Scholars scholarship program (several Lions members are on its board).
• Raised and donated about $10,000 to update the disc-golf facilities in Millstream Park.
• Helped fund and hang flower containers on the downtown street lights each spring.
• Gave a $5,000 check to the St. Joseph Community Food Shelf.
• Donated funds to Boy Scout Nathan Lex so he could complete his Eagle Scout dog-park project.
• Contribute ongoing funding of the Dr. Aaron Boatz Scholarship, named in memory of a late Lions member.
• Ongoing funding of vision and hearing programs at schools and collecting eyeglasses from many places to give to people in need, including at some overseas sites.
• With help from the Y2K Lions, the club installed a wheelchair ramp for a disabled St. Joseph woman.
• Working with St. Joseph Monastery nuns on a computer web project.
• Some Lions members volunteer at the food-services departments at both local colleges and the Benedictine monastery.
• Donated $500 to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Department’s drone program.
• Took part in a clean-the-ditches program, along with two Boy Scouts.
• Contributed to the Boy Scouts Troop 84.
• Received financial support from businesses such as Coborn’s Grocery, CentraCare Health and Scherer & Sons Trucking.
“If not for them (Lions) in terms of time and money, many things wouldn’t happen,” Waggoner said.
New members
The two St. Joseph Lions clubs are happy to welcome new members. Two of the newest, who are about to be inducted, are newly elected Mayor Adam Scepaniak and former mayoral candidate Jon Hazen.
St. Joseph Lions member Scott Block holds a deteriorated dollar bill that was found in a ditch during a Lions ditch-cleaning project, which they did with the help of two Boy Scouts.
Seven of the 10 elected St. Joseph Lions officers are (left to right) Keith Schleper (2 Year Director), Ken Stommes (1 Year Director), Jim Meyer (1 Year Director), Clair Rogers (Treasurer), Jim Waggoner (President and Membership Director), Stephanie Hazen (2nd Vice President and Lion Tamer) and Connie Loecken (1 Year Director). Not pictured are Margie Evens (Secretary), Joanne Bechtold (2 Year Director) and Shawn Risen (Tail Twister).
New Lions member Elijah Stenman and son Jonas met with St. Joseph Lions President Jim Waggoner. Jonas was congratulated by Waggoner for achieving his Communications Merit Badge.
