(0:19) Appreciate your time today. (0:21) As the Kemmer Lions Club recently celebrated 100 years of service to the Southern Lincoln (0:28) County community. (0:29) What an accomplishment.

(0:31) I understand there was a ceremony and some recognition. (0:34) Tell us what happened there and what took place. (0:37) Well, yes, we had the past district governor and our current district governor, Mr. Gary (0:44) Rodifer and Mr. Ron Leathers from Pine Bluffs and Laramie come to Kemmer and they presented (0:52) us with a 100-year plaque, one of the very few 100-year clubs in the state of Wyoming.

(0:59) And to give you an idea, there’s over 800,000 Lions Clubs in the world and our club is (1:07) number 6509. (1:11) So yeah, we’ve been in Kemmer doing a lot of good things for many years and we had a (1:17) wonderful prime rib dinner and everybody had a great time and we initiated four new members (1:24) and a few other rewards were handed out and it was just a great night to be a Kemmer Lions (1:31) member. (1:32) That’s fantastic.

(1:33) And over those 100 years, just countless projects have gone to the local community to benefit (1:39) the Kemmer Diamondville area. (1:40) Let’s talk about some of those, Brad. (1:42) Maybe look back over your time with the Lions Club and if you know even before then, what (1:48) were some of the highlights, some of the big projects that have taken place? (1:51) Well, yes.

(1:52) So I’ve been in the Kemmer Lions Club since 1991 and honestly, it was the best decision (1:59) I ever made to join the Lions Club. (2:03) So our biggest project or one of our biggest annual projects is eyeglasses. (2:10) Helen Keller charged the Lions Club in 1925 to be champions for the blind.

(2:16) So we work a lot on blind issues and now since diabetes and blindness kind of go together (2:25) unfortunately, we do a lot with diabetics. (2:28) And so we provide eyeglasses and eye exams for youth and senior citizens or really anybody (2:38) that has a need for that and can’t afford it. (2:44) We work out, we work with Voss Vision there in Kemmer.

(2:48) And so that is our longest, our ongoing longest and most important project. (2:54) But we also, we provide four scholarships annually. (3:00) We fund projects for the rec center.

(3:03) We bought a nice new piano for the high school music department. (3:10) Some of the bigger and longer longest projects we’ve had, of course, the Lions Club developed (3:18) and made the Lions Club Park and then donated that to the city of Kemmer. (3:23) We handle the annual maintenance.

(3:25) We put a lot of money into the golf course. (3:30) We helped engineer and fund. (3:32) The kids fishing pond in Kemmer, Archie Neal Park, which was named after one of the Lions (3:39) Club secretaries that served for 35 years in a row as secretary of the club.

(3:45) We put a lot of money into the kids pool there. (3:48) We recently assisted the city of Kemmer with building a new concession stand and heated (3:53) bathrooms. (3:55) We, on a state, we also locally just helped fund the Lincoln County Snow Bears with a (4:03) avalanche beacon transponder checker.

(4:09) I don’t know what else you’d call that. (4:11) On a statewide basis, we send an annual donation and help maintain the Alan H. Stewart Camp (4:18) for the Blind in Casper, which is a Lions of Wyoming Foundation owned project. (4:24) We also help and assist and send money every year to the Rocky Mount Eye Institute in Colorado, (4:30) which was built by the Wyoming and the Colorado Lions Clubs.

(4:35) That’s just kind of a good overview of the projects we’ve done over the years. (4:42) We’re probably the best kept secret in Kemmer as far as how much money we put into the community. (4:48) That’s fine.

(4:49) We’re not in it for the limelight. (4:51) Our motto is we serve and we want to do that well. (4:55) Brad Wilford, treasurer of the Kemmer Lions Club on the weekday wake up.

(4:59) Brad, that is no insignificant or small list that you just went through. (5:04) The impacts to the community, just amazing with what the Kemmer Lions Club has done as (5:09) you celebrate 100 years. (5:10) What do you see moving forward for the Kemmer Lions Club 100 years from now? (5:14) What do you hope that the Kemmer Lions Club is continuing to be involved with? (5:20) Well, I hope we’re still doing all the same things and helping out the community.

(5:26) There’s always some new projects that the city of Kemmer or the city of Diamondville (5:33) are needing that we can assist with. (5:35) I think our gifting of those four large scholarships, we actually give one to a big Piney graduate (5:49) that grew up in LaBarge, since LaBarge is in Lincoln County, and then we give three (5:53) to the Kemmer High School graduates. (5:58) Our scholarships are based on three criteria, service, number one, someone who’s done a (6:04) service because we’re a service organization, of course, scholarship, number two, and then (6:09) need, someone who needs a scholarship to go to school.

(6:13) That’s kind of our criteria on that. (6:16) I just hope we’re doing the same thing. (6:19) Our biggest need right now as a club is we need to get some more members.

(6:25) When I joined the Lions Club, we were at 60 members, and looking back through the archives, (6:31) I can see at one time, 50 years ago, when they had the 50-year celebration, there was (6:36) about 90 members in the Lions Club in Kemmer. (6:41) People today have different priorities, and being in a service organization is usually (6:48) not one of them, but I would invite anybody to visit with us and find out what the Lions (6:56) Club is all about. (6:57) Like I said, joining the Lions Club was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in (7:03) my life.

(7:04) Our biggest need is we need more members. (7:07) We’re sitting at 15 members, and it’s hard to hold an ice fishing derby with 15 members, (7:14) which is our major fundraiser. (7:16) We’ve held an ice fishing derby 40 out of the last 43 years in Kemmer.

(7:21) We weren’t able to this year because we just didn’t have enough manpower, but that is our (7:28) biggest need, is new members into the club. (7:33) I’m assuming, Brad, that it can be whatever commitment you want it to be, right? (7:38) You’ll take anybody regardless of how much time they’re able to assist? (7:44) Absolutely, absolutely. (7:46) A lot of times, these new people, especially if they’re younger folks, they’ve got a lot (7:52) of new good ideas.

(7:54) There’s nothing wrong with bringing new and good ideas into the Lions Club as far as how (8:00) to provide service and to help folks. (8:02) Perfect. (8:03) How does someone reach out to the Lions Club to get involved and become a member? (8:08) Well, they could contact any member of the Lions Club.

(8:11) Specifically, they could contact myself. (8:14) My phone number is 307-723-1760. (8:22) Or we meet the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.

(8:35) We’re moving the meeting around a little bit right now, but we’ll have a stable place here (8:40) shortly. (8:42) Or just inquire. (8:44) The newspaper and camera is a big contact for us, and they can inquire there, and she’ll (8:52) let us know.

(8:53) We put a monthly or a weekly ad in the newspaper as far as when the meetings are. (8:59) But yeah, if you want to get involved with some organization that can really make a difference, (9:05) it’s your Cameron Lions Club. (9:08) That’s Brad Wilford, treasurer of the Cameron Lions Club, recently recognized for 100 years (9:13) of service in southern Lincoln County in Cameron Diamondville.

(9:16) Brad, thank you so much for your time. (9:17) Appreciate all that you and the Cameron Lions Club does in Lincoln County. (9:21) Thank you, Duke, for recognizing us and arranging this interview.

(9:25) It was greatly appreciated. (9:27) You bet. (9:27) It’s all part of the weekday wake-up this morning on SVI Radio.