Monongahela Donora Area Lions Club needs new members

By Beth Hope-Cushey
For the Mon Valley Independent
The Monongahela Donora Area Lions Club is desperately in need of new members.
President Rose Andrako said the group conducts local community service projects, but can only do so much with its small membership.
“Our members are older and we need young people to help with these projects,” Andrako said.
“The money and work goes directly back into the local communities 100 percent.”
The 100-year-old Lions organization boasts more than 1.4 million members worldwide and is the largest service organization in the world.
The Lions focus on global, district and local causes. Globally, they are committed to fighting diabetes, hunger and childhood cancer, along with promoting youth causes, humanitarian efforts and the environment and helping those with vision issues. Some of the clubs have helped these global goals by starting a community healthy-food garden project.
Many Lions clubs collect gently used and worn glasses and hearing aids for donations. The local club recently collected plastic grocery bags that were turned into 24 mats for the homeless in Washington County. The group is still collecting bags for the ongoing mat project and for two benches to be made out of recycled plastic.
The bags will be sent to a company and the benches will be made and installed in Monongahela and Donora.
Other service projects include a $1,000 college scholarship for a Ringgold senior, the Monongahela farmers market, collecting used glasses and hearing aids and helping out families in need. The group also helps at the community holiday Light-up Night.
“Our projects benefit the two communities,” Andrako said.
She said members can help bring positive changes through club membership.
“We work on local projects and are always looking for a project to fund or help with,” she said. “If you want to help your community, we are the group to join.”
She added that the group has helped with a youth ballpark and has donated two air conditioner units to a needy family.
“We are a pure volunteer group with all of the money going back to the community,” Andrako added.
Projects differ in each community, said George Andrako, District Lion Governor-elect. He explained the Lions participate in a division project each year, but individual Lions clubs have the opportunity to pick a community project as well.
“If you want to see change in your community and be a part of that change, join the Lions,” he said.
Rose Andrako said the Lions club is open to anyone and those with children are welcome to bring them to meetings. The club meets the first Monday of every month at 6 p.m. at the Monongahela Area Library and the third Monday of the month at 6 p.m. at the Donora Public Library.