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Navan, Ontario, Canada
Our small but vigorous club has been serving the community of Navan, near Ottawa, since 1952.
This is where to find out about the services we can provide, including support to other community organisations.
Most of our activities involve fundraising and giving the money to individuals in need or to larger causes.
More than 1.4 million Lions in over 200 countries are responding to local and global challenges with kindness and care.
President: Tony Fiorentino
Secretarial Team: Mark O’Donoughue and Chris MacPherson
Treasurer: Bob Noakes
The Fall season is a period of great contrasts going from the fun of October with Halloween (and yes, the Lions do dress up) and Fall Fest and progressing into the bitter sadness of Remembrance Day on November 11 th. During this season we are planning for the club’s year ahead – especially those things which were not completed last year. Nevertheless, enough happened to gladden the hearts and minds of anyone associated with our community.
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Navan Pavillion which took place on October 20th is a major step forward and the driving forces Luc Picknel and Brian Moore are members of our Club, though I hasten to add that this is not a Lions project. We (they?) will no longer have to keepshoveling snow off the outdoor ice rink, and no longer will (we) they fill the waiting rooms of chiropractors in search of relief for their back pain. Joking aside, of course the Lions Club has supported and will continue to support this most worthy project.
It would be churlish to move on to other news without mentioning how much we enjoyed Fallfest. What a wonderful day it was. I think practically all of Navan and the surrounding area came for breakfast at the firehall. I seem to remember at least 6 or was it 9 barbecues going at full blast. Expertly piloted by firemen, they produced a constant stream of flawlessly cooked pancakes, bacon and sausages I can still taste that bacon – mmmm!
At 11 am the main Fall fest activities began. There were outdoor games of all kinds, the Lions were once more producing
popcorn, hot dogs and hamburgers in record numbers – has there ever been a better fed crowd? I was wandering around in a pumpkin costume and found myself swarmed by small children. This particular costume has a large nose to dispense candy. Disgusting you say! Yes, it was totally disgusting but the children enjoyed it greatly. And I soon had a loyal following long after the candy was all gone. Who could imagine you could have such fun! Well done Fallfest organizing committee.
Navan Lions have been particularly active in our ongoing Reconciliation project. We have been influenced by the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its 94 calls to action. We realized that if we the ordinary people of Canada did not show some initiative you could be sure that few of the 94 recommendations would be adopted. And yet a reconciliation with the Indigenous population is vital for the future of this country.
Why Lions? Because Lions is an organization dedicated to serving others. And what the TRC report tell us is that the indigenous population needs help. So, what have we been able to do?
A number of activities are gaining momentum as our club continues to develop relationships through various organizations including: the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition, The Legacy of Hope Foundation and the Odawa Native Friendship Centre. We have discovered that the world of the indigenous population is much more complex than we had imagined, so one of our early goals is to educate ourselves and try and grasp the complexities of that landscape.
Nevertheless, we have tried one or two practical responses. We provided Popcorn at the International Inuit Day celebrations in Ottawa on November 3. Though relatively simple, it reflects a growing relationship with the Isaruit Inuit Arts group. We fed approximately 100 customers. Popcorn may seem an unlikely initiative for reconciliation, yet we believe it sends a message; – Yes, we have listened, yes, we want to help and yes, we are with you.
We have been very actively planning our second Community Reconciliation meeting on December 2nd. In St. Mary’s Hall. We are welcoming three indigenous speakers and will be setting up associated exhibits including display panels. The theme of the meeting is “How to be an Ally” an idea adopted from The Legacy of Hope Foundation. It follows on directly from our first evening’s theme (in May) which dealt with the impact of Residential Schools. All residents of Navan and area are cordially invited, and we hope that you take this opportunity to come out and meet some of your local Indigenous neighbours.
The next major event on our calendar is our annual Jerry Calver memorial bonspiel. This takes place on the 6th and 7th December and is already fully booked. Our silent auction – open to everyone – is well stocked. Additional curling teams will need to go on a waiting list This is a wonderful event which primarily raises funds for the Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. Pulmonary Fibrosis is an incurable disease which fatally affected Jerry Calver, one of our members.
Special Thanks to the Friends of Mer Bleue for financial support in the design of this website.
Photo credits; Tom Devecseri, John Ladds & Alan White