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Photo courtesy Mt. Pleasant Michigan Lions Club Facebook page.The Lions Club has donated over 190 string backpacks for children visiting McLaren Central Michigan.
For over 75 years, the
Mt. Pleasant Lions Club has been actively involved in the Mt. Pleasant community, consistently supporting over 25 local organizations and initiatives. With a mission to empower volunteers to serve different communities, meet humanitarian needs and promote international understanding, the Mt. Pleasant Lions Club is part of a network of over 49,000 Lions Clubs and 1.4 million members worldwide.
“We are [here] to serve and help the community. I am very proud of the number of things we do for our community,” says Roger Gilbert, the Mt. Pleasant Lions Club president. “Our large motto is that we serve. We try to live that model by the various projects that we do.”
Over the years, the club’s local beneficiaries have included the Boy Scouts of America, Woodland Hospice, Bear Lake Children’s Camp, Mt. Pleasant Area Special Olympics, Central Michigan University Speech and Language Clinic, Community Compassion Network, the Isabella County Restoration House, and more.
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Photo courtesy Mt. Pleasant Michigan Lions Club Facebook page.Mt. Pleasant Lions Club president, Roger Gilbert.
Recently, the Lions Club served up tradition and community spirit at its 70th Annual Chicken Barbeque on Sunday, May 4 at Island Park in downtown Mt. Pleasant. Driven by volunteers dedicated to making a difference on a local, national and international scale, the organization draws large crowds each year for this annual event. Event proceeds help the Lions Club give back to a range of charitable and philanthropic initiatives at the local, state, and international levels.
“The Lions Chicken Barbeque brings in our largest amount of money that we can then direct toward the community and different projects,” shares Gilbert.
In addition to the Chicken Barbeque, the Mt. Pleasant Lions Club hosts several events throughout the year that support the same mission, including their Annual Chili Dinner.
A notable new initiative the Lion’s Club kicked off in 2024 was their first-ever holiday raffle.
“It worked really well, and we hope to continue doing it annually,” shares Gilbert, noting information for the Mt. Pleasant Lions Club 2025 Holiday Raffle fundraiser will be available around Thanksgiving.
“The organization also works with Eversight to provide children with eye exams at the local Walmart … and [grants individuals] $125 to get a pair of glasses,” Gilbert says. The organization “also work[s] to provide $500 for individuals to get hearing aids, too.”
As one of the primary beneficiaries of the Mt. Pleasant Lions Club’s generosity, the Isabella County Restoration House (ICRH) receives both financial support and direct assistance. In addition to fundraising, the Lions Club also helps ICRH by organizing warm meals during the winter months.
“Several times, we have actually provided a chicken dinner meal to those in the homeless shelter,” Gilbert says.
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Photo courtesy Mt. Pleasant Michigan Lions Club Facebook page.The 2023 Mt. Pleasant Lions Club BBQ at Island Park.
The Lions Club also is a proud supporter of youth athletics including the
Mt. Pleasant Little League, and renovating the softball and baseball dugouts located near Mt. Pleasant High School at the corner of Elizabeth and Preston—replacing damaged structures and refreshing the area with a new coat of paint.
Furthermore, the Mt. Pleasant Lions Club has a history of supporting McLaren Central Michigan’s hospital emergency room, having donated over 190 string backpacks full of coloring books, supplies, and cuddly lion stuffed animals to help comfort children during their visit.
“We’ve done that three times. If they need more bags, they can call us, and we’ll be sure they get some more,” shares Gilbert, enthusiastic to continuously use the organization as a vessel to provide.
The Mt. Pleasant Michigan Lions Club operates as an independent organization, managing its own funding and fundraising efforts.
At times, the organization occasionally partners with the Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club, often collaborating or engaging in friendly competitions to see who can donate the most blood for charitable causes.
“We join together to help with Christmas Outreach … in order to provide people in our community with winter coats and Christmas wear during that time of year,” says Gilbert.
The Mt. Pleasant Michigan Lions Club is an invitation-only organization.
“You do have to be asked by a Lion to join,” Gilbert explained, sharing that those interested in becoming members can visit
Lions International online to submit an interest form.
“If you’re interested, they’ll let the local club know who you are, and we will call and invite you to come to one of our meetings,” says Gilbert.
Megan Neeley, an accounting major at Alma College, combines her academic focus with a passion for journalism, regularly contributing to local publications. As the Editor-in-Chief of The Almanian, the Alma College campus newspaper, she channels her passion for storytelling into creating compelling content for the college community. Eager to continue growing in the field, Megan enjoys exploring new opportunities to develop her skills. In her free time, Megan can be found unwinding with a good book or looking for her next adventure in the great outdoors.
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