By Alexandra Molnar, Contributing Writer
Grafton – At the end of a long dirt road, a low, modest building sits in between Lake Ripple and groomed fields that stretch to woods. The little building is the home of the Grafton Lions Club, located at 68 Brigham Hill Road in Grafton, the owners and caretakers of 18 acres of land used by soccer players, dog walkers, and campers alike.
Though the meeting hall is small, there is nothing small about the efforts of the Lions Club, which has existed since 1955 when the property was the town swimming pool which the Lions maintained.
Sixty years later, where the pool once stood, is a soccer field used by the Grafton Soccer League. Hiking trails border the field and serve at least 15 dog walkers and hikers per day. The property is also used by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the Grafton schools, and the Grafton Recreation Department.
Dennis Perron, the current secretary of the Grafton Lions Club, has been a member since 1983. He was invited to run the Lions Club’s Fourth of July parade because of his experience coordinating parades.
“[I] enjoy volunteerism and helping a community, which is what we do,” Perron said.
He is also the chair of the eighth annual Charity Golf Tournament, which is one of the club’s primary fundraisers. This year, it will be held Tuesday, Aug. 18,at the Highfields Golf and Country Club in Grafton.
The event, which includes a day of golfing followed by a dinner and awards ceremony, has allowed the Lions to raise significant sums of money; each year they have raised around $12,000-15,000.
It will take place in Grafton for the first time this year, after being held in Sutton for the past seven years.
“It just feels better in Grafton,” Perron said. “We try to do everything in Grafton.”
The tournament is open to anyone and participants may register on the Grafton Lions Club website.
Everything that the Lions do benefits the community directly. The club recently helped out a family whose house burned down; the Lions donated money to the family the day after the fire.
In addition, the club supports the Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund, a nonprofit run by the Lions Clubs of Massachusetts, which raises $1 million annually. They have donated over $3,000 dollars to provide grants for eye research.
The Grafton Lions also provide eyeglasses and hearing aids for local residents in need; they collect about 1,500-2,000 pairs of glasses per year in Grafton alone. The project is ongoing, and they gather the collection boxes every three months.
Beyond fundraising for local causes, the Grafton Lions hold a free summer concert event on the Grafton common for the enjoyment of the community. This year will mark the 35th year of their July 3 concert, for which they invite military bands to play. The concert is extremely popular as it typically draws between 3,500 and 5,000 people.
A new yet hugely successful project, currently in its third year, is the haunted hayride that drew 1,500 people last year over two days. Eighty volunteers came to decorate the Lions Club property where tractors and hay wagons brought visitors to experience the many scary scenes and skits.
Plans for a small expansion are currently in the works – the Grafton Lions are in process of designing a pavilion that will overlook the soccer fields. It will exist for outdoor functions and primarily serve as an outdoor classroom for the Recreation Department camps.
In the summer, the property hosts about 80 kids every week for an outdoor adventure program where they learn canoeing, kayaking, fishing and orienteering. The pavilion will provide shelter for when it rains. Perron said that they hope it will be completed by this fall.
The Grafton Lions Club boasts 45 members and welcomes anyone who wants to join. As they are a service organization, Perron said that members are expected to work, even if they volunteer at only a couple of projects per year.
Ever since he has been retired, Perron spends about 20 hours per week volunteering with the Lions Club. Phil Dumas, another member who has been involved since 1968, maintains the fields there every day.
The Lions meet twice a month, one meeting for the Board of Directors and then a general meeting.
“The Lions Club is important because [we] provide for the needs for the people in the community. Without us, they wouldn’t get the help that they need,” Perron said.
To learn more about the Grafton Lions Club and their upcoming golf tournament, visit http://www.graftonlionsclub.org/.