PROJECTS

The Mount Barker Lions are involved in a wide range of charitable and fundraising activities.

This page describes our current and ongoing projects. Our past projects are listed in our club history.

CHARITABLE projects	FUNDRAISING projects
Barbecues - charitable & sponsored	Barbecues - regular & sponsored
Christmas cakes - donations	Christmas cakes - sales
Lions Community Assist Project Handicrafts from the heart - helping cancer patients and children in need of love and support	Conquer The Summit FUN RUN Targeted fundraiser Premier event of the Mt Barker Lions
Humanitarian Meeting special needs Micro-financing local projects	Local Directory General fundraiser Free service to local residents
Sponsorship Spending our charity budget Micro-financing local projects	Lions Mints - sales
Linear Trail Watch Going green
Recycle For Sight Sharing the gift of good eyesight
Disaster relief Spending our rainy-day budget
Volunteers on Call  Donating our labour to local causes and community events
Lions Youth of the Year  Local coordinator for national quest
International Youth Exchange Home-hosting and sponsorship

Note: Except where otherwise indicated, all funds raised from the public are ultimately returned to the community (shared between local, national and international projects). We do not use these monies for general administration and member benefits.

Barbecues

Our sausage sizzles are very popular with Mt Barker residents.

Our fundraising BBQs are usually held monthly at Bunnings Mt Barker.

We hold occasional sponsored BBQs:

• for National Tree Day each November (sponsored by the Mt Barker District Council)
• during the school holidays on Mann St (sponsored by Families SA)
• during the school holidays at Mt Barker Community Library & TAFE (sponsored by the Mt Barker District Council)
• each December for Council staff (end-of-year function sponsored by the Mt Barker District Council)
• for special occasions, e.g. opening of Anembo Park sports park (2014) and Springs Wetland (2015) - both sponsored by the Mt Barker District Council
• at the request and commission of local businesses, e.g. National Australia Bank (NAB), Devine Homes, Autobarn, Cash Converters, Springlake and Newenham.

We also run charity barbecues for selected causes:

• Black Dog Foundation: Free BBQ breakfast for motorcyclists raising money for the relief of depression.
• Cancer Council Relay for Life: Free BBQ breakfast for charity walkers and runners.
• Camp Quality: Free BBQ at Glenelg (50km away) to participants in Camp Quality, a charity for children with cancer.

Conquer The Summit FUN RUN

Held every April, the Conquer The Summit FUN RUN [dedicated website] is organised by the Mount Barker Lions as a fundraiser for specific local charities. Participants run, jog or hike one of 2 routes:

• Summit Ascent (11.5km): Mt Barker (Keith Stephenson Park) to Mt Barker Summit, via the award-winning Laratinga Wetlands - a total distance of 11.5km and total climb of 150m, traversing some of the most picturesque countryside in the eastern Adelaide Hills.
• Laratinga Circuit (5km return): Round trip between Mt Barker (Keith Stephenson Park) and Laratinga Wetlands.

Conquer The Summit (CTS) returned a total of $16,000 to community projects over the past 3 years (2014-16 inclusive):

• $13,500 for the Operation Flinders Foundation, which runs life-changing treks in the Flinders Ranges for troubled and at-risk youths. Our donation enabled 3 local young people to participate in this program each year.
• $1500 to YMCA Mt Barker, a CTS partner institution since 2016.
• $750 for Strength For Life, a health and fitness program for older citizens.
• $250 for the Mount Barker Men's Shed.

Conquer The Summit is by generously supported by local businesses and organisations, including the Mount Barker District Council.

The next Conquer The Summit will be held on Sunday, 9 April 2017.

Lions Community Assist Project

The Lions Community Assist Project (LCAP) is a sewing circle with a humanitarian heart. In collaboration with our neighbour Lions clubs, we manufacture the following items on domestic and industrial (overlocker) sewing machines:

• Chemo Caps
• Quillows
• Trauma Teddies.

Click on the links above to view the finished products. Further information is available from our LCAP Coordinator.

LCAP sewing sessions are held monthly. Our Lions Ladies find them really enjoyable - with the Lions men serving the tea and coffee!

Linear Trail Watch

Since 2015, the Club has maintained a portion of the popular and picturesque Linear Trail which runs through Mount Barker:

• Rubbish collection
• Small-scale weed removal and shrub maintenance
• Maintenance of bench seats and wooden artworks (occasional repainting, oiling and graffiti removal).

This is a collaborative project with the Mt Barker District Council:

• We cover the cost of rubbish collection (tongs, vests, disposable gloves, free labour).
• The Council provides materials for seat and artwork maintenance (paints, oils, brushes).

We maintain 2 sections of Linear Trail (look for the Lions signs!):

• East of Keith Stephenson Park (up to Francis de Sales school and Springs Wetland)
• North of Gawler St (from Dutton Rd to Cornerstone College and the Freeway underpass).

Recycle For Sight

The Mount Barker Lions participate in the Lions Recycle 4 Sight Australia program, a Lions Australia charitable project affiliated with Lions International and Rotary International.

We support this project in two main ways:

1. We collect second-hand spectacles and sunglasses donated to local optometrists (Specsavers Mt Barker, OPSM Mt Barker, Stirling Optometrists). We package these glasses and post them to the national processing centre in Queensland for high-tech grading and cleaning. The re-usable glasses (the vast majority!) are then repacked and distributed to needy communities around the world - with a special emphasis on East Timor, the South Pacific and remote Australia. This project is generously supported by Australia Post (free postage for boxed spectacles), the Queensland Government and the Australian Federal Government.
    
2. We contribute to the operational costs of this national project via:
   (a) our affiliation fees to Lions Australia; and
   (b) cash donations from our charity budget - funded in turn from our Barbecues and other general fundraisers.

For more information on this project, or to donate second-hand spectacles, please contact our Club's Spectacles Coordinator.

Local Directory

The Local Directory [web version] is a handy short-list of key businesses, services and emergency contacts for the Mount Barker district. It is printed in card format, with an adhesive or magnetic strip for your fridge door or office wall. It is distributed free of charge each year throughout the Mt Barker District Council, encompassing nearly 12,000 households as far afield as Hahndorf, Meadows, Echunga, Macclesfield, Nairne and Callington.

The Local Directory is a community service provided by the Mount Barker Lions. Each listed business pays us an annual advertising fee, which we use to fund Lions and community projects.

Do you run a local business or professional practice? Would you like to appear on the Local Directory? If so, please contact our Local Directory Coordinator. Once listed, you have a guaranteed right of renewal in following years.
Please note: Only a few vacant advertising spots are available each year - after all, the card must be easily legible and small enough to fit comfortably on a fridge door!

Volunteers on call

Not all of our projects are organised by Lions! By donating our labour to community events, we help to keep them affordable for families.

• Tour Down Under: Each January we volunteer as traffic marshals in coordination with SA Police and Tour Down Under organisers.
• Mt Barker District Show: Each March/April we volunteer as ticket-sellers at the local Show.
• Mt Barker Highland Gathering (not held 2016): We volunteer as ticket-sellers and traffic marshals at this festival of Scottish heritage.
• Charity collecting: Each year we volunteer as door-to-door collectors for well-known charities and causes, such as the Red Cross, Flying Doctor (RFDS), Royal Society for the Blind (RSB) and Salvation Army (Red Shield Appeal).

Sponsorship

From time to time we support organisations, causes or community projects in the Mount Barker district. 

In one recent year (2014), we provided financial support to the following:

• Strength For Life, expansion to Mount Barker - funded from Conquer The Summit
• Operation Flinders, sponsorship of 3 local youths - funded from Conquer The Summit
• Primary School, Echunga - funded from club reserves
• St Johns, Mount Barker - funded from club reserves
• CFS, Mount Barker - funded from club reserves
• SES, Mount Barker - funded from club reserves
• Scouts, Mount Barker [Facebook] - funded from club reserves
• Guides, Mount Barker - funded from club reserves
• Community Centre, Mount Barker - funded from club reserves
• Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) - funded from club reserves
• Masters Games (a loyal supporter of Conquer The Summit) - funded from club reserves

Is your school, club or sports team seeking one-off financial support? Feel free to contact us to see if we can help.

• If possible, apply in writing and allow one month for our decision.
• Please be aware that our discretionary funding is very limited.
• We will treat your request confidentially and cordially.
• We may direct you to other possible sources of support.

Humanitarian

Does any of the following describe you?

• You are currently struggling with hardship, misfortune, disability or loneliness.
• You feel you're 'slipping through the cracks', and need a temporary 'helping hand' to get by.
• You know someone in need of a 'helping hand'.

If so, you may wish to contact us to see if we can help.

Please note the following:

• Our discretionary funds are very limited. We ask you to consider us as a niche provider and supporter of last resort.
• We will treat your request confidentially and sympathetically. We will, however, seek evidence of genuine unmet need, and may refer you to alternative sources of support.
• We rarely provide direct cash support to individuals. We may, however, contribute financially to specific purchases, projects or organisations to meet your special needs (e.g. purchase of mobility equipment for someone with a physical disability).

Disaster Relief

We make one-off cash donations to specific local, national and international emergency appeals. In recent years, these have included:

• New Zealand: Quake Appeal (2015-16)
• South Australia: Sampson Flat Bushfire (northern Adelaide Hills, Jan 2015)
• Australia: Victoria Bushfires Appeal; Queensland Floods Appeal
• Asia: Typhoon Haiyan disaster, Philippines.

Our emergency donations are funnelled by Lions Australia Emergency Response directly to Lions clubs in the affected regions. This is a highly efficient and effective method of delivering timely aid to communities in distress.

Youth of the Year

Held every year across Australia, the Lions Youth of the Year quest recognises achievement by our young citizens. The local winner proceeds directly to the state finals. The Mount Barker Lions have organised and sponsored Youth of the Year locally most years since 1978.

The highlight of the Youth of the Year quest is a public-speaking competition, which accounts for 20% of each contestant's final score. The remaining 80% is awarded for academic and sporting achievements and community volunteering.

Youth Exchange

In mid-2014, we home-hosted an international student under the Lions Youth Exchange Program.

Christmas Cakes

The Lions Christmas cakes are legendary! And with a minimum 12-month shelf life, they're available all year round. They can be purchased from directly our barbecue stalls, or ordered from our Christmas Cakes Coordinator.

Pricing (correct as at April 2019):

• $2 - mini fruit cake (snack size, 80g)
• $13 - medium Christmas cake (1 kg)
• $17 - large Christmas cake (1.5 kg).

We also donate Christmas Cakes to local charities:

• Christian Care & Share
• St Vincent de Paul Society ('Vinnies')
• Meals on Wheels
• Salvation Army.

Mints

We distribute boxes of Lions mints to local businesses. The proceeds fund Lions projects in health and medicine.

Are you a business owner? Would you like to stock Lions Mints on your premises? If so, please contact our Mints Coordinator.