Wisconsin Lions Camp

The Lions of Wisconsin own one of the best camps for disabled persons in the world.  Located in Rosholt, just east of Stevens Point, the 425 acre camp with a 40 acre privately owned lake, hosts 1,700 children every summer for a totally free week or two of camping.  Programs are for visually and hearing impaired children, those who are cognitively disabled and now a program for children with diabetes.  The rest of the year the camp is used by disabled adults and rented out as a retreat center.  Visit the camp's website at www.wisconsinlionscamp.com.   
The camp is one project of the Wisconsin Lions Foundation which has many other projects for those with disabilities.  The Eye Glass Recycling Center process a million used eyeglasses and hearing aids each year, cleaning and sorting them for distribution by Lions in countries like Mexico and the Philippines.  Each year several Wisconsin Lions make trips to Mexico to distribute eyeglasses through our Mission to Mexico project.  The Wisconsin Lions bought a large trailer to transport the eyeglasses as well as school and medical equipment donated by Wisconsin residents, schools and clinics.  The foundation also has a Diabetes Education Program where specialists travel the state educating medical professionals about the signs and symptoms of the disease.  The Hearing Program supplies free hearing aids to low income individuals.  This program is funded by donations of used hearing aids which are recycled by the manufacturer and credit is given to the Lions for new aids.  To learn more about the foundation and its projects, visit www.wlf.info.

The highest honor that the foundation can bestow a Lion or Lioness is the Birch-Sturm Fellowship, which is a $1,000 donation, usually paid for by the member's club, to the foundation's endowment fund.  Seven Fond du Lac Evening Lions are Birch-Sturm Fellows: Wayne Bargenquast, Robert Berryman, Charles Browning, Thomas Clausen, Gary Colton, Michael Konen and Gary Silah.