Lake Norman Lions Club raises $35,000, supports local nonprofits

Posted on by Mike Fuhrman

Special to Iredell Free News

The Lake Norman Lions Club recently raised more than $35,000 at its annual banquet, raffle and silent auction fundraiser, and it’s already using that money to help the community.

Proceeds from the event enable the Lions Club to continue to support services for the blind and visually impaired and other charities serving those in need in the Mooresville area.

“Through the support of area businesses and merchants who donated items for the silent auction and the generous support of those purchasing tickets to the banquet event, the club realized over $35,000 for its mission to serve in the community,” said Lake Norman Lions Club President Denzil Bell.

At its regular monthly meeting this month, the club awarded $1,000 each to the Mooresville Christian Mission, Health Reach Community Clinic and the Children’s Hope Alliance. Club representatives attended the Lion’s Club’s regular meeting at 273 McKendree Road, Mooresville, and spoke to the club about how the provided funds helped contribute to the overall mission of each organization.

Mooresville Christian Mission
Pictured (from left) are Patrick Weaver, vice president of the Lions Club; Kristen Ziese of the Mooresville Christian Mission; Henry Deal, Lions Club treasurer and Denzil Bell, president of the Lions Club

Kristen Ziese from the Mooresville Christian Mission explained that the nonprofit helped 481 families stay in their homes in 2023 and delivered $1.2 million of food to the southern Iredell County community last year.

Since 1939 the Mooresville Christian Mission has been helping families in the area alleviate food insecurity through the operation of a food pantry available to clients twice each month. In addition, the Christian Mission offers free clothing and household goods through its resource store. In its effort to combat homelessness, the Mission also offers rental and utility assistance for those in need.

HealthReach Community Clinic
Pictured (from left) are Patrick Weaver, vice president of the Lions Club; Angela McMillan of HealthReach Community Clinic; Henry Deal, Lions Club treasurer and and Denzil Bell, Lions Club president.

Angela McMillan explained that the HealthReach Community Clinic helped 650 patients and provided more than $5 million in services in 2023. The clinic provides primary medical care, a pharmacy, an on-site lab, preventive care, wrap-around services and referrals for diagnostic imaging and specialty care for low-income families without health insurance. It also offers free health screenings and well visits for patients and regularly monitors patient health through blood pressure, blood glucose, BMI, hemoccult, mental health questionnaires and more.

Included in their women’s health services are annual PAP tests, breast exams, labs and screening for personal safety. HealthReach also provides free flu vaccines, nutrition counseling, weight management, and smoking cessation counseling, replete with pharmacotherapies. Thanks to their clinical partners, HealthReach offers free mammograms, pulmonary function tests, retinal imaging, and even free lung cancer screening.

Children’s Hope Alliance
Pictured (from left) are Patrick Weaver, vice president of the Lions Club; Will Huff of the Children’s Hope Alliance; Henry Deal, Lions Club treasurer; and Denzil Bell, Lions Club president.

Will Huff from Children’s Hope Alliance spoke to the Lions Club about how the nonprofit is now active in 62 counties in North Carolina. Last year Children’s Hope Alliance served about 7,500 children who are experiencing issues like drugs, abandonment, suicide or homelessness.

Formerly known as The Barium Springs Home for Children founded in 1883 as an orphanage, the Home merged with the Grandfather Home for Children to become Children’s Hope Alliance. The Mission of Children’s Hope Alliance is to provide support for orphans, children in foster care and children suffering from trauma, abuse or neglect and have been removed from their homes for their safety. Children’s Hope Alliance offers treatment and counseling, foster care and adoption services and therapeutic programs like their HeartStrings music and arts program.