Workers pouring concrete for the smaller of the two extensions for bleacher seating at the Lions Memorial Field at the Rolla High School.

A REPORT FROM THE ROLLA LIONS CLUB

The Rolla Lions Club, working in conjunction with the Rolla Public School System, recently completed a major upgrade and expansion of the seating at Lions Memorial Field (the Rolla High School Football Field). The project increased available seating by about 50% and replaced the existing wooden benches with metal benches. The Lions Club provided about $60,000 and a considerable amount of labor for this project.

In recognition of this project and even more importantly our Lions Club Park and other youth oriented projects, the City of Rolla nominated the Rolla Lions Club for a Citation Award presented annually by the Missouri Park and Recreation Association for the best privately owned not-for-profit park in the state. We were very proud to have the President of the Club, Lion John Geurin; Park Chairman, Lion Elsworth Adams; District Governor, Lion Bud Dean; and Lion Eldon "Cork" Finley, Park Reservations, in Kansas City February 26th to accept the award. The following paragraph appeared in the program.

"Over the past sixty-two years, the

Rolla Lions and Lioness Club has supported the Rolla community in a variety of ways including establishing the annual Fourth of July carnival and dedicating 100 acres of land for a public park. In the 90s the club has acquired 180 acres of land for public use providing pavilions, a fishing lake with disability access points, playgrounds, four soccer fields, and two t-ball fields. The carnival provided by the Lions and Lioness Club is a four-day event that provides entertainment for families across the state as a July 4th celebration. Additionally, they have made sizable donations for the renovation of the high school activity field that provides a football and band competition arena, and have provided more than 500 hours of labor to build the bleacher area. The 148 members of the Rolla Lions and 58 members of the Lioness club are a great asset to the community."

To complete this report from the Rolla Lions Club, one of our members, Lion Chris Beaugard, has been selected to be MD26's only representative to the 1998 Lions Leadership Institute. The first session of that training will be May 4-9, 1998.