Mount Pleasant Lions Club members showed their appreciation for the teachers and staff at Mount Pleasant Elementary School with cool treats on a hot day on August 5. They made arrangements with Deb’s Lemonade for a truck to stop by the school and offer free slushies to the staff returning from summer break. Sandy Mathena, who is a Mount Pleasant teacher and a member of the Lions Club, was instrumental in organizing the event.
Mount Pleasant Lions program coordinator Mike Ferguson greeted the employees in the parking lot with some poetry on this first Teacher Appreciation Day from the Lions: “Soon the kids are back in school; but today we have Lemonade Slushies–so cool; So here we all are sharing a smile and a laugh; with the Mount Pleasant Elementary teachers and staff.”
He shared some personal history, recalling his childhood at Mount Pleasant Elementary, “shooting marbles in the schoolyard” which looked quite a bit different than today. In fact, the road to the school was gravel.
Ferguson said that Annie B. Stiff was the principal at Mount Pleasant in those days and also the impetus for starting the local Lions Club. Her husband had been a Lion, and she saw the need for a community organization.
The Mount Pleasant staff thanked the Lions for all they do for the school and community, and Deb’s Lemonade for stopping by.
The Lions plan to treat the staff at Garden City Elementary with Deb’s on August 19.
The Mount Pleasant Lions celebrated their 60th anniversary this year. The Lions Club is an international service organization– the Lions motto, “WE SERVE.” The Mount Pleasant Club has chosen for those many years to be of service especially to the children in the community.
In pre-COVID years, members have taken students from Mount Pleasant and Garden City on school shopping trips prior to the opening of school each fall to purchase school supplies. There is a Christmas shopping trip as well. The Lions Club contributes to the schools’ clothes closets by providing new underwear and socks.
The Lions contribute to a weekend food backpack project to make sure children don’t go hungry when they are out of school. They stop by the school to read to students on “Read Across America Day.” They conduct vision screenings for students in several local schools.
When Rivermont School moved into the Garden City/Mount Pleasant area in the former Piggly Wiggly store, the Lions adopted those students as well. In fact, they donated the club’s piano to Rivermont.
The Mount Pleasant Lions also maintain historic Kefauver Cemetery; they do regular roadside clean-ups, and support eye-glass recycling.
The pandemic put a little damper on club activities, but they managed to meet monthly via Zoom. Anne Ferguson currently serves as president of the club. Tommy Moore serves as vice president, Janet West as secretary, and Warren Burger as treasurer.
The Mount Pleasant Lions used some of their time during the health crisis to renovate their meeting hall, the “Lions’ Den” located on Mayfield Drive, built in 1976. Improvements included new heat and A/C units in the Lions space, as well as the two duplex rental apartments in the building, new dry wall, color coordinated paint and moldings, window treatments and chairs. In addition, a new food service table, beverage station, bulletin board and library table were put in place.
The Mount Pleasant Lions are one of the few Lions Clubs that are fortunate enough to have their own building. The meeting space at 2432 Mayfield Drive is made available to the community and groups for baby showers, birthday parties, family reunions, etc. (More information on renting the meeting hall is available from Lee Whitbeck at 400-0008 or Wayne Wray at 427-0525.)