Lions Launch "Earth Action Days" – A Call To Serve And Sustain -04/18/25
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lions Clubs of Oregon
Carrie Bartley, District Governor
541-391-0767
Statewide, OR — April 17, 2025 — Lions Clubs across the United States are stepping up for the planet during Lions Earth Action Days, a 10-day initiative from April 18 to 27 dedicated to environmental service and community sustainability.
From tree plantings and park cleanups to recycling drives and pollinator garden builds, Lions are mobilizing volunteers of all ages to protect our shared home. The goal? Make a visible, lasting difference — one project, one community at a time.
"Earth Action Days are about rolling up our sleeves and putting our values into motion," said Carrie Bartley, a member of the Milwaukie Lions Club and District Governor for the Lions of 36-O. "It’s service with impact, rooted in hope."
Below is a sampling of some of the projects happening here in Oregon:
EARTH DAY EVENT
DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 8:00 am to 12:00 pm
TITLE: Spring Clean Up
LOCATION: Columbia City School, Columbia City
DROP SITE: for appliances, scrap metal, yard debris, car batteries, old furniture, tires, unwanted items
COLLECTION SITE: for eyeglasses, hearing aids, sneakers, hiking shoes, non-metal cleats (clean, like-new or gently-used)
COST: Donations appreciated
ENVIRONMENT CLEAN UP PROJECT
DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 8:00 am to 10:00 am
TITLE: Trash Pick Up
LOCATION: Columbia City and Hwy 30
WHO: St Helens Lions Club members and friends
WHAT: We will be picking up trash along Hwy 30 and residential streets
Please contact Lion Sharon Fraser (sharonaltafraser@gmail.com) or Lion Kathy Syrstad (syrstadk@gmail.com) if you have any questions.
EARTH DAY EVENT
DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 9:30 am to 12:00 pm
TITLE: Tree Give Away- free seedlings
LOCATION: Roy Raley Park, Pendleton
WHO: Stewards of the Umatilla River Environment
ENVIRONMENT CLEAN UP PROJECT
DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 9:00 am start time
TITLE: Trash Pick Up
LOCATION: Roy Raley Park, Pendleton
WHO: Stewards of the Umatilla River Environment, Pendleton Lions Club members and friends
WHAT: river clean-up, supplies provided, families welcome
Contacts: Kathryn B. Brown, S.U.R.E. Organizer, Stewards of the Umatilla River Environment, 541-215-0776
Lion Risa Riggins, don1998risa@yahoo.com
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The McMinnville High School Leos club is partnering with the Environmental Club and Leadership club volunteering to help clean up the beach. In conjunction with SOLV a group of high school students will join hundreds of others to collect and clean up a portion of the Oregon coastline on Saturday April 19th. https://volunteer.solveoregon.org/
In an ongoing community service project, the McMinnville Lions collect used durable medical devices from individuals and businesses. The club cleans and repairs them if needed and then gives them to people that need those specific items. This project keeps thousands of good usable items from being sent to the landfill or scrap yards and helps individuals in need. In the last year the project has given devices to more than 2200 people in the community.
Contact Lion Brian Sauer for more details at briansauer52@gmail.com
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The Lake Oswego Lions Club youth branch, Vision Envoy, facilitates a new environmental volunteer project in which youth and adults sign up together for trail work events through the Forest Park Conservancy. The goal of the project is to accomplish meaningful conservation and trail management work. The group will be participating in an Ivy Clean-up at the Lower Holman Trailhead on April 19, 9am to 12pm. Equipment will be provided.
Event Team Leader: August Walrod, augustwalrod@gmail.com
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Milwaukie Lions Club members will be participating in Earth Day 2025, Saturday, April 26, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm, at Dogwood Park, 11299 SE Main St, Milwaukie, OR 97222.
In celebration of Earth Day, the city, in partnership with the Historic Milwaukie Neighborhood District Association (NDA), Rotary Club of Milwaukie, the Milwaukie Parks Foundation, and other community partners, is hosting a volunteer event in downtown Milwaukie. Prior to the start of the volunteer work, Milwaukie will receive an official designation as a Bee City USA for its work to protect pollinators and promote healthy habitats. An historical moment that you won't want to miss! The event will also include a station to decorate pollinator wings, numerous organizations with information tables, music, and spring weather so come join in the fun!
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Lions Clubs throughout Oregon collect used eyeglasses, hearing aids and cell phones year-around to recycle and repurpose. The Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation (OLSHF) provides eyeglass collection boxes that are set up at vision providers, pharmacies, retirement homes, and stores throughout Oregon. Lions Club volunteers gather and transport those donations to our warehouse in NW Portland. OLSHF manages one of 18 LERCs worldwide, collecting over 100,000 eyeglasses every year in Oregon.
Since 2002, OLSHF has partnered with Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF) in Wilsonville, OR to process the eyeglass donations. At CCCF, 30 women adults in custody (who have been accepted into the Paraoptometric Training and Eyeglass Recycling Program) clean, calibrate, repair and sort the eyeglasses. The glasses are then categorized and stored back at the warehouse in NW Portland, ready for sight missions.
Numerous organizations request specific inventories of “mission ready” eyeglasses from our warehouse for their trips. We distribute thousands of donated eyeglasses each year to sight missions all over the globe including Vietnam, Mexico, Australia, Africa and many other underserved areas of our world. https://olshf.org/lerc
A list of collection sites statewide can be found here: https://olshf.org/donate-glasses
Want to get involved by helping or becoming a Lion? Find your nearest Lions Club at:
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About Lions Clubs International
With 1.4 million members in over 200 countries, Lions Clubs International is the largest service organization in the world — dedicated to improving lives through vision care, disaster relief, hunger initiatives, youth programs, and now more than ever, environmental action.
