The sun was shining and there were smiles all around at the Comox Valley Monarch Lions Club.
Last Wednesday at the Lion's Valley View Estates in Courtenay, the Comox Valley Monarch Lions Club gave a total of $4,000 to seven organizations.
After each cheque presentation, the representing recipient spoke about their organization's purpose and explained what the funding would be used for.
Recipients were the ALS Society of British Columbia, Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life, Canadian Diabetes Association, Glacier View Lodge, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Senior Peer Counselling, and Western Canada Blind Golfers.
President of the Comox Valley Monarch Lions Club, Rick Grinham said that the club is elated to share the common goal of helping these local organizations.
"We're delighted to have the opportunity to give back to the community," Grinham said.
The Monarch Lions Club is the largest service club organization with approximately 46,000 clubs worldwide and 1.35 million members.
Chartered in 1993, the Comox Valley chapter gives over $30,000 each year to different local organizations.
These kinds of donations are necessary to fund each organization since they are often run by a core group of volunteers. Many of the representing volunteers have been affected personally by the cause they choose to support.
Julie Spooner, a volunteer from the ALS Society of British Columbia, lost her father to ALS and is now an active member in the community, building awareness about the disease.
Spooner is heavily involved in the Golfathon for ALS — an annual fundraiser for the ALS Society of British Columbia. A large portion of the funds goes toward practical needs, such as providing medical equipment for families of ALS patients.
"The more that's donated, the more hope there is for people with it," Spooner said.
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a disease of the nervous system which gradually deteriorates voluntary muscles. ALS patients will lose the ability to move their limbs, to control their bladder, and even to breathe. There is no known cure for ALS.
For more information on the Comox Valley Monarch Lions Club or to see a list of the organizations, visit www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/comoxvm.