(Disclosure Statement: Local Rotary and Lions clubs provide financial support to Carver County Local News.)

Eastern Carver County is rich in tradition and sense of community, in no small part due to its local Rotary and Lions service clubs.

Service clubs are sometimes thought of as relics of the past, a bunch of old men and their grandfathers reliving the glory days over a cup of coffee or a beer. If that ever was the case, it is not like that today.

Our local Lions and Rotary clubs are vital and engaged in making their community and the world better places. What you might not know about these clubs is that members have a great deal of fun at the same time.

Service clubs still have a cohort of retired individuals who have time to offer their skills and experience to the task of improving their community. However, many young professionals are also discovering the unique blend of camaraderie, leadership development, and networking that modern service clubs offer.

The two common threads among Eastern Carver County Lions and Rotary clubs are service and fun.  

Lions – We Serve

Lions clubs are renowned worldwide for their efforts in preserving eyesight. They provide vision screening and eyeglass recycling through the Lions Eye Foundation.

Closer to home, the Lions Parks in Eastern Carver County (Chaska, Cologne, Carver and Victoria) exist thanks to the efforts of our local Lions clubs.

Lions also sponsor scholarships, service projects of all types, and a host of fun social events.

The Chaska Lions host an annual First Responders Luncheon, and they partner with the Chaska Rotary Club in an annual tree planting program. Chaska Lions manage local beer and pull-tab concessions that generate revenue to support dozens of other philanthropic causes in our community. Having purchased beer from them at community events in the past, I can attest to the fact that they have a great time doing it.

Carver Lions are known for their Bike Rodeo, Blood Drives, Easter Egg Hunt, Senior Luncheons, annual Pork Chop Dinner, scholarships, eyeglasses for kids and donations for local families in need. They have fun raising money, and then they give it away.

The Chanhassen Lions support environmental programs, such as Arbor Day tree planting and highway cleanup on Powers Boulevard. They support local Seniors with an annual summer picnic and free Poinsettias at Christmas. Their most recent food drive netted over a ton of food for Bountiful Basket.  They also host an annual Pancake Breakfast, Oktoberfest, golf tournament, and a Christmas tree lot to raise money for causes including cancer research, hearing loss, and other vital initiatives. They also have a subgroup that focuses on Women’s and Family issues.

The Victoria Lions Club is 100 members strong and hosts the Classic Car Night in Downtown Victoria, holiday events, softball and golf tournaments, the Food Truck Festival and more. This group excels at using fun events to raise money to support their local community.  

Rotary – Service Above Self

Rotary is best known internationally for its decades-long efforts to eradicate polio. Wild poliovirus cases have declined by over 99% since 1988, resulting in the saving of millions of lives. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative aims to achieve complete eradication by 2029, which would make polio only the second disease (after smallpox) to be eradicated worldwide.

The Chaska Rotary Club supports local projects, including highway cleanup, support for homeless youth, assistance for unwed mothers and scholarships. They also have an international focus, with a long tradition of Youth Exchange, and have sponsored and participated in international projects in places like Peru, Ecuador, Nepal, Madagascar, and the Dominican Republic. Chaska Rotary also loves to turn up the volume for a cause and hosts an annual music fest in September.

Chanhassen has two Rotary clubs. The Chanhassen Rotary Club awarded $46,000 in scholarships this year (Wow!) and partners with the City of Chanhassen to host its annual Fourth of July celebration. Chanhassen Rotary also has a deep commitment to international service, with projects in Peru and remarkable leadership in the “Shelter Box” global disaster relief program.

The Chanhassen Evening Rotary Club serves Victoria and Chanhassen. In partnership with other West Metro Rotary clubs, they recently initiated the newest affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides free, high-quality books each month to children from birth to age five to foster a love of reading and improve early childhood literacy. They are also known for their annual Puzzle Tournament.

The annual Rotary International Convention is coming to the Twin Cities in 2028 and is expected to draw more than 40,000 people here for the week-long event. Local Rotarians will be serving as hosts to visitors from around the world as they learn about global best practices for having fun while doing good.   

If you want in on the fun…

Each service club has its schedule and its personality. Some clubs meet weekly in the morning over coffee. Others meet in the evening over dinner and/or a beer. The only way to determine if a club is right for you is to attend a meeting. All of these clubs are welcoming to prospective members.

Here are the meeting schedules for our Eastern Carver County service clubs (as gleaned from their websites and Facebook pages):

• Carver Lions – 6:30 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at the City Hall Community Room (316 Broadway in Carver)
• Chaska Lions – 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at 500 Pine Street (Chaska Mill Building), Suite 300
• Victoria Lions – 6 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 6:00 PM in the Victoria Lions Pavilion
• Chanhassen Lions – 6:30 p.m. on the 4th Monday of each month at the Chanhassen American Legion, 290 East Lake Drive
• Chaska Rotary – 7:30 a.m. Thursdays at Crown of Glory Church in Chaska
• Chanhassen Rotary – 7 a.m. weekly on Wednesdays at the Chanhassen American Legion
• Chanhassen Evening Rotary – 5:45 p.m. (social hour starts at 5 p.m.) on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at the Chanhassen American Legion.

Check their Facebook page or website to confirm meeting details.

Take the first step and attend a meeting. Discover how you can make connections, meet new friends, do good in the world, and become an essential part of your community’s enduring heartbeat. And have fun!