The Mount Prospect Lions Club is a part of a global leader in humanitarian service, Lions Clubs International. Throughout its 87-year history, the Mount Prospect Lions Club has raised money through fun community events to benefit local and sight-related charities. Over the years the club has purchased farmland and then donated it to the community’s fledgling park district for a park; helped send l
ocal high school bands to national parades and other prestigious events; donated bicycles to the police department for a bicycle patrol; donated funds to stock the Village’s food pantry for the needy; donated funds to restore several historic buildings for public display; sent blind, deaf and burned children to camp; financed eye examinations and glasses for needy children in our community; awarded college scholarships to deserving high school seniors; and much more. But what sets this club apart from many groups is the amount of fun and fellowship members enjoy while helping others in their community and the nation. They participate in numerous parties, fun bi-monthly meetings, an annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner and much more where they get to know each other better and thoroughly enjoy themselves while raising money that sustains many local organizations and families. It is the perfect storm of fellowship and philanthropy. The majority of the funds raised to support area causes are raised from three large efforts. The Mount Prospect Lions Village Festival each late June/early July provides the biggest earnings. The five or six-day festival includes carnival rides, games, food and beer booths, musical entertainment, fireworks and a raffle and draws as many as 10,000 people per day over the course of the event. The Mount Prospect Farmer’s Market, which is held each Sunday morning from mid-June to mid-October, is managed by the Lions Club. It has been recognized as one of the best such markets in the northwest suburbs. Funds are generated through vendor fees which are then pumped back into the community through donations to the local food pantry and other worthy causes.
