Mountain Roar Update: April 2026

Jim Turin Memorial Lions Scholarship Dinner, Saturday April 4th!

Please plan to attend our Jim Turin Memorial Lions Scholarship Dinner on Saturday April 4th. Happy Hour begins at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6.00 p.m.. This year's dinner will include Spaghetti, Italian Sausage, Italian Bread and Salad (we’ll be using some of Lion Jim’s famous recipes).Price at the door is $8 for Kids 10 and under, and $20 for adults. Special Adult Presale tickets are available for $18 at Welches Clackamas County Bank, Welches Mountain Building Supply, Coffee House 26, Brightwood Tavern, Mt. Hood Cannabis, and the Whistle Stop Tavern –  or ask any Lion. Our Scholarship Committee Chairwoman is Lion Cindi Sempert. Lion President Dave Anderson is our Dinner Chairman, and Lion Craig Calvert heads up the kitchen crew. Our club’s Scholarship program began in 1998. Please come out in support of this very important Lion’s Club project. Thank you!

Bingo:

Bingo season will come to a close on Friday, April 24th. We’ve had good crowds this year. Remember, doors open at 6:00 p.m. and Bingo starts at 7:00 p.m. Please note! We will be serving alcohol on the 3rd Fridays of the month during Bingo so it’s adults only please –  nobody under 21 years of age. The proceeds from Bingo go to help fund our Scholarship program and many other club projects. Thank you again for your support. 

Red Cross Blood Drive!

We will be hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive on Saturday April 18th. Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. To schedule your appointment, or for more information, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit www.redcrossblood.org; Sponsor Code: MtHoodLionsClub Streamline your donation experience and save up to 15 minutes by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions for the day of your appointment. 

April is a busy month for us with Club Elections to be held at our April 8th meeting. We will hold our New Member Initiation at our April 22nd meeting. New members will be treated to one of our great steak dinners.

Swimming Lessons Dinner, Saturday May 2nd!

Please plan to come to a wonderful Mexican dinner in support of our Swimming Lessons program on Saturday May 2nd. Happy hour starts at 5:30 p.m., Dinner begins at 6:00 p.m. The menu includes Chicken Fajitas, Rice, Beans, Salsa and Tortillas. Tickets at the door are $8.00 for kids 10 and under and $22.00 for adults. Special adult presale tickets are available for $20.00 at Mountain Building Supply, Welches Clackamas County Bank, Brightwood Tavern, Mt. Hood Cannabis, Coffee House 26, and the Whistle Stop Tavern, or ask any Lion.

Lion David Buoy is our Swimming Lessons program Chairman. This dinner is co-chaired by Lions Nolberto Perez and Craig Calvert. We will also be offering several raffle items. Please come and enjoy.

Don’t forget to purchase your 50/50 rtickets. Tickets are $5 each –  just ask any Lion.

This raffle is to help support this year’s Swimming Lesson program.   

Mt Hood Lions Club History

The following is from the 50th Anniversary Celebration program

The Lions Club of Mt. Hood (our real name) was chartered May 11th, 1951.

Thirty eight new Lions, with their wives, sponsors, and guests attended a Charter Night Dinner at the Zig Zag Inn on July 28th, 1951. Since then, the membership has grown to an average of about 75. In 1987, the constitution was changed to extend membership to both sexes, so now ladies are welcome on their rosters.

The Mt. Hood Lions Club is unique in having its own clubhouse. In October of 1954 the Mt. Hood First Aid Club (now just west of the Clackamas County Bank) was offered for sale. It consisted of a 20’x 40’ meeting room, a kitchen, and an indoor shooting range, added when the club was a gun club. The price for the building and its half acre was $1600.00. Within a couple of years after its purchase, the Lions found its scant space was limiting their activities. So an adjacent half acre was bought for $600.00, and a 40’x 60’ open pavilion was added to the east side. All work was done by Lions. 

In later years, the highway was widened, and the meeting room was moved to the rear. The pavilion was closed, and a nice stage was added - all done with Lion labor. During the 1964 flood, the Lions Hall became the Headquarters for the Civil Defense and the Red Cross. The old clubhouse served well for fundraising projects: Chuckwagon Breakfasts, auctions, public dinners, plays, and as a public rental facility. In 1991, the building was sold and replaced by the new clubhouse near Welches School.

In recent years, fundraising projects have been graciously attended by the community and generously assisted by local businesses. Today, Lion’s Club services lean heavily toward youth, education, and health. They have provided the community with over 11,000 free immunization shots. In the Reading is Fundamental Program, they have provided Welches students with over 4500 free books. Each year they give three $500 scholarships to Sandy High graduates who previously graduated from Welches Grade School. The Christmas Dinner and Toy Drive provides toys to children of the community. Once or twice a year the Lions bring a Mobile Screening Unit to the area, testing for glaucoma, vision, hearing, diabetes, and blood pressure. Throughout Fall, Winter, and Spring, public Bingo is held every Friday night.