Lions Clubs International Foundation grant helps the organization buy helmets, T-shirts
Savannah Fire/EMS Explorer Post 7632 recently purchased safety helmets and T-shirts for its members with a grant from the Lions Clubs International Foundation, according to a news release sent by the Lions Zone 7 Chairperson Craig Wiley (representing the 10 Lions Clubs of Ashland County).
The $1,000 LCIF District and Club Community Action Grant was obtained through the Lions Clubs of Ashland County, known collectively as “Zone 7” within its 10-county “District OH2” that runs from Ashland westward to Wyandot and north to Lake Erie.
Exploring is an interactive, worksite-based career education program affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. Savannah’s Lead Adviser Scott Engelhardt participated as a teenager in a post sponsored by the Ashland City Fire Department in the 1990s.
Engelhardt initially contacted Savannah Lions Club member Kevin Reidy in the summer of 2020 to inquire about the possibility of financial assistance. Reidy at that time was serving as first vice governor of District OH2 and was therefore in an excellent position to forward the request to the Zone 7 Lions, who ultimately voted at their November 2020 Governors Advisory Meeting to apply for the LCIF grant.
Reidy, a retired public school administrator, together with then-District Governor Kerry Parker, a high school teacher at Milan Edison, assisted Zone 7 Chairperson Craig Wiley with the application process. Wiley (also a retired educator), had previously written a couple school-related grants and noted that the LCIF application was relatively brief and simple in comparison.
Funding for Lions Club International Foundation grants comes from local club contributions
Funding for Lions grants essentially comes from local club contributions to LCIF, which are then channeled back to the grassroots level as needed. Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service organization, providing humanitarian aid locally and globally. Its longtime “signature” mission is eyesight, which dates to its 1925 International Convention at Cedar Point when keynote speaker Helen Keller challenged Lions to be “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness”. Today, LCI’s “Pillars of Service” also include diabetes, hunger, environment and childhood cancer.
Reidy, Parker and Wiley attended the post’s April 13, 2021 meeting to present the $1,000 check and meet with the grant steering committee which includes Savannah Volunteer Fire Company Chief Steve Dinsmore, who incidentally is a third generation Savannah Lion.
The purpose of the grant was two fold: safety and public awareness. It funded blue fire helmets which serve to differentiate explorers from professional personnel when on-scene, and screen printed T-shirts to identify explorers when worn in public.
Active members of the post range from ages 14 to 18; three senior members recently graduated. The post meets in person, and members recently participated in a confined space rescue drill, also a Metro Life Flight helicopter landing zone training involving a real helicopter and five fire/EMS companies from three counties.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Savannah Fire/EMS Explorer Post 7632 buys safety helmets and T-shirts
