The Wellington Lions club will be throwing a party 50 years in the making next month.

June 18^th marks the 45^th anniversary of the Wellington Lion’s Club. Having been chartered in 1974, the Wellington Chapter of the Lion’s Club is now the only one in the County.

Internationally, the Lion’s boast 1.5 million members in over 200 countries and locally, the Lion’s Club has 40 members.

Recently, local club president, John Whyte, took the time to speak with the Gazette.

“The Lions are considered one of the leading humanitarian organizations in the world and have been recognized by the United Nations as such,” Whyte stated.

Though their mandate is to serve the community, many may not know exactly what the Lions do in Prince Edward County.

Among their many endeavours are: helping with Meals on Wheels, effective speaking contests and peace poster contests with local schools, vision and hearing screenings in schools and breakfast and reading programs at CML.

They also have a medical equipment trailer from which they lend medical equipment, such as crutches and walkers to those in need at no cost.

This year, to commemorate their 45 year charter, the Lions are hosting a community party to kick-off their “concerts in the park” series. The series runs from mid-June to early September every Tuesday night.

The party on June 18^th will feature Peter Rea and The Reasons playing in the refurbished gazebo in Wellington Park.

There will be hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches and cupcakes for the public to enjoy. The event is made possible through the hard work of Lions Club members, as well as donations.

“We want to support the community,” said John Whyte. “We support them and they support us. It’s a two way street.”