(Cushing, Okla.) Russ Thurman, President of the local Lions Club International, called the meeting to order today at 12:17 p.m. The agenda started with song and pledge by Lion Jerry Snyder. This was followed by prayer requests and a prayer which was given by Kathleen Leightner.
Lions Club then welcomed all the guests that came today including Dawn Miller (Past District Governor), Troy Jenkins (1st Vice President of our area) and Jim Perry (Managing Editor of the Cushing Citizen).
Tom Cummings then introduced today’s program, Bryan Larison (Excutive Director of Lions Boys Ranch). Larison in turn thanked the group for having him come to Cushing and talk about the Lions Boys Ranch. He then went on to tell about the foundation of the Boys Ranch and show a video.
The foundation of the Boys Ranch – Loreen Donnelley is the daughter of the founder and the granddaughter of the woman that donated the land that the Lions Boy Ranch sits upon. Donnelley told Larison just the other day how much her grandmother wanted to see families on the land she had donated.
The Main and Donnelley families saw children that were going into orphanages, and going homeless in the 1930’s. Oklahoma was just coming out of the Dust Bowl and the Depression and the family did not have much, but what they did have was a bunch of land and so they said, “We can give them this land. The children can have moms and dads to love and teach them.” They believed that the love of a family is the medicine that heals the hurt of a broken child.
In 1952 the IOA Ranch on the Cimarron got its first child (a boy) and in 1981 its name changed from the “IOA Ranch on the Cimarron” to the “Lions Boy Ranch.”
The Donelley and Main families worked for 30 years trying to expand their vision but were unable to. The goal was to build six homes. The Lions of Oklahoma coming in would build six homes and once those homes were operated for six years, the deeds for those homes would go to the Lions of Oklahoma. But they were never able to build more than two homes at time. Still the hope was that those parents would care for those children and those kids would get the chance to be a part of a family.
A lawsuit brought against the DHS in 2010 stated that the children’s civil rights were being violated for not having enough foster parents and childhood workers, which DHS couldn’t deny, and they were instructed to come up with a five year plan.
Currently the Oklahoma Lions Boys Ranch has three fully constructed homes and a vision to construct home number four. There are 16 children living in the homes on the site and out of those there are four biological children to one of the foster parent couples. The make-up of the other 12 children consists of three girls and nine boys.
Funding for the Lions Boys Ranch comes 1/3 from state funds and 2/3 from funds raised by Oklahoma Lions.
Larison stated that the main reason children end up coming into foster care is neglect.
The meeting finished up with the 50/50 drawing which was won by Gerald Jolley.
Jolley reminded the club about the 4 Person Open Scramble a Golf Tournament which is to be held on Saturday, Aug. 22nd (2015). Registration to be held at 7:30 (am) with Tee Off Time at 8:30 (am). Proceeds go to benefit Cushing Lions Club “Sight Testing” a program for area youth.
The meeting adjourned around 01:15 (p.m.).
Cushing Lions Club meets each Tuesday at noon in the Lion’s Den in downtown Cushing.
For more information about Lions Club International https://www.lcif.org “or” to find out more about Oklahoma Lions Boys Ranch go to https://olbr.org/
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