Rappahannock County Lions Club Foundation

The Lions are excited to note that ALL funds raised from Give Local Piedmont will be used for scholarships for

Rappahannock County High School students, to attend either college or trade school.

For over 66 years, the Lions Club has been the prominent community service organization in Rappahannock County, funding a wide array of projects and services.  A list of some of the things we do is included below.

We have been providing scholarships for nearly this entire time.  But the rising cost of college means that we need to do more.  We also must do more to make it possible for young people to enter skilled trades -- to better their own future, to enable them to continue to live in the County, and to provide the service base needed in a vibrant community.

Therefore, the Lions have increased both the number and amount of their scholarships.  Two years ago, we provided a $1000 scholarship to each of six high school seniors.  Last year, we provided $2000 scholarships to each of seven graduates.  This amount is helpful, but it barely dents the financial burden most young people will face.

We now plan to once again double the amount of our scholarships to $4000 each.  A successful GiveLocalPiedmont campaign will make this possible.

Help us help our young people by donating today.

More About Us

The Lions Club was established in 1958 as a community service organization. It has no paid staff; it is entirely composed of volunteers. The Club administers the Rappahannock County Lions Club Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3). 

We'd like folks to know that we are not a business organization. There really aren't a lot of businesses in Rappahannock County.  Instead, the Lions Club members are ordinary residents who act as a group to do those things they cannot do by themselves.  It is the power of organized good.

We take very seriously our stewardship of the money donated to us.  For this reason, we pay all our administrative expenses through our dues. All of them. We are one of the very few organizations nationwide that does so. We have been performing in this way for 64 years.

Specifically, we do the following:

• vision and hearing testing for all school children, including toddlers
• free medical devices through our Convalescent Loan Closet
• scholarships for students who have performed community service and who are majoring in public service fields (nursing, teaching, police, fire, etc.) or skilled trades
• internships for high-school students to work for pay at local businesses, where they can learn useful workplace practices and norms
• Rappahannock Night at Camp Fantastic, a program for children who have terminal cancer
• recycling of plastic bags and wrap
• collection of unused household pharmaceuticals for appropriate destruction
• the only juried music competition in the County
• free eye exams and eyeglasses for the needy
• scouting and athletic programs for kids
• funding for the Sheriff's Office so they may hold a Shop With a Deputy program every Christmas for less privileged children
• funding for the Senior Center (we purchased all of the kitchen appliances and the picnic area)
• funding for the Veterans Day observance at the high school
• funding for a high school after-Prom party so that kids will have a safe alternative to alcohol and trouble
• a program for the Food Pantry whereby we till gardens and provide seeds for individuals who wish to grow their own vegetables
  
  

Testimonials

The Lions have been extremely successful at reacting to and assisting with the changing needs of the County.  Several recent initiatives of the Lions have received favorable public notice:

• At the beginning of covid, we gave a $5000 matching grant to a local distillery to help it pay for materials to convert its operations to the production of hand sanitizer.   As a result, over 2000 gallons of sanitizer were donated to hospitals, health facilities, police, and fire and rescue squads.
• The Lions took over responsibility for the Convalescent Loan Closet, a service which provides used medical equipment (motorized beds, wheelchairs, walkers, etc.) to residents at no charge.
• We started the first recycling of plastic bags and wrap in the County.  In less than two years, we have collected the equivalent of more than 2,000,000 bags.
• During covid, we paid restaurants to provide hot meals to Food Pantry clients.  This not only helped those in need, but it gave a helping hand to some of the businesses harmed by the covid closures.
• As part of our vision programs, we purchased a sophisticated electronic eye-testing machine that can be used to test not only school age children, but also the little ones who are too young to read eye charts.  The machines reveals vision weakness and seven different eye diseases.
• And, as stated at the beginning, we plan to greatly increase our scholarships.