Interview with Dianne Brochu (President) and Carmelle Terborgh (Vice-President)
The Essex Junction Lions Club is the local branch of Lions International, a worldwide community service organization. The five key priorities Lions International include diabetes prevention, pediatric cancer, vision and hearing, hunger, and the environment.
Locally, the Essex Junction Club implements these values with a wide variety of projects. Second-year president Dianne excitedly told me of a new project the Club was working in to put comprehensive dictionaries in the hands of all local elementary students. Vice President and incoming 2019-2020 President Carmelle was eager to describe a new Scouts BSA girl troop that the Lions would be sponsoring. In addition, many readers may associate the Lions Club with the collection of glasses, something that the majority of Lions Clubs worldwide participate in.
The next time you are at the Champlain Valley Fair, make sure to grab at a meal at the Lions Club food booth. The booth is 100% volunteer-staffed, and all proceeds go back into the community. The food booth is the Essex Junction Lions Club’s largest fundraiser of the year. If you want an opportunity to get involved sooner, the Lions will be holding their annual Food from the Heart fundraiser on Saturday, February 9th. Club members will be at Kinney Drugs at Mac’s Market in Essex Junction from 9 AM- 3 PM collecting food and other non-perishable items for the local food shelf.
If you would like to learn more about the Lions Club, please visit the Club’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/EssexJunctionLionsClub/) or website (https://e-clubhouse.org/sites/essex_junction/). The Club typically meets on the 2nd at 4th Wednesday of the month at 6:30 PM, alternating meeting locations between the Essex Police Station and the Inn at Essex. New members and guests are always welcome!
Why Essex? “The Essex Community is supportive of our work, and supports our mission to make the community a better place.”
Why Essex? is a weekly(ish) column highlighting the people and places that make Essex an interesting and special place. Have an idea for the column? E-mail Darby Mayville at darby@essexjunction.org.
Photo Credits: Dianne Brochu