Thirty Attend Worth County Suicide Prevention Run/Walk

Around 30 people participated in the Worth County Suicide Prevention Run/Walk Saturday, with three running the 5K route and the rest walking the 2K route.

After the event, some groups gave presentations and offered resources to people about suicide prevention. The Life Flight helicopter did not show up due to weather concerns.

Amy "Beth" Blume of Operation Veteran Resources out of Lee's Summit talked about her group and her work. They offer free haircuts, resume writing, and other help for veterans transitioning out of the military into civilian life. They offer help whether you are currently transitioning or whether you've been a civilian for years. Their website is www.operationveteranresources.com.

Mike Hall of the Grant City Lions Club talked about his group's work. They meet every first and third Tuesday at the Allendale Community Building. They go to area schools and offer free KidSight Vision Screening for elementary kids. They help kids buy eyeglasses. The Lions Club is open for all. It originally started as a men's club, but opened to women in the 1960's. 

They offer disaster relief services around the world, including partnering with other organizations to fight River Blindness in Africa. They train service animals for the blind. 

They also offer diabetes screening, childhood cancer screening, and help combat hunger. They take used eyeglasses as donations. They process them, clean them, and give them to people in need. It used to be against the law in Missouri to distribute used eyeglasses to people, but during COVID-19, there was no way to get the eyeglasses to Africa like the Lions Club International had been doing. So the legislature changed the law so that you could distribute them in Missouri. It is still illegal to do so in Kansas. 

The VA brought some resources for people and gave out gun locks.

The National Center for PTSD has developed a mobile app called "Safety Plan." It is a free mobile app which helps people create a safety plan for if they experience thoughts about suicide or self-harm. It helps users create a step-by-step action plan to keep yourself safe during a crisis, share your plan with loved ones, and use tools to manage distress.

It is not a substitute for professional help. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call 988. If you are a veteran, dial 988 + 1 to be connected to specialized services.

The app helps people identify warning signs, ways you can cope, identifies places you can go for a distraction, and people you can call for help. It helps users create strategies to put time and space between yourself and dangerous objects such as firearms, knives, and medications. Use your app when you start to notice your personal warning signs. You can print or export your plan to share with others. You can make a personalized list of reasons to live. It offers tools for coping for distress in the moment and help manage strong emotions. It also allows people to keep journals, set goals, and track progress over time. It offers resources, like getting connected to mental health treatment. 

Gun safety locks help create a barrier between yourself and a firearm. The Worth County Suicide Prevention Coalition has distributed over 1,300 free of charge this year. There were some distributed at Saturday's run/walk.

The following are immediate signs of suicide risk:

--Thinking about hurting or killing yourself;

--Looking for ways of killing yourself, including using AI;

--Talking about death, dying, or suicide;

--Self-destructive behavior such as drug abuse.

If you recognize these signs in yourself or others, take immediate action and call 911. 

Other warning signs are as follows:

--Hopelessness, feeling like there is no way out;

--Anxiety, agitation, sleeplessness, mood swings;

--Feeling like there is no reason to live;

--Rage or anger;

--Engaging in high-risk activities without thinking;

--Withdrawal from family and friends.

If you recognize these signs in yourself or others, call the National Suicide Crisis Hotline at 988. If you are a veteran, call 988+1. You will be connected to specialized services. You do not have to be enrolled in VA benefits to qualify.

The Suicide Prevention Coalition meets every second Wednesday at the Worth County Community Church (formerly the United Methodist Church) at 5:00 pm. All meetings are open to the public. 

Grant City Lions Volunteering to Help Kids with Eyesight Issues

 Concern about childhood vision problems have inspired the Grant City Lions Club to take action.  For the last two years our local Lions have performed thousands of child vision screenings throughout northwest Missouri, often going to schools and towns that find it hard to get services because of their size or remote location.   In fact, this mission started because our Worth County school was having trouble getting someone to screen its Kindergarteners.

Children in Missouri are blessed by the services of KidSight, one of the organizations supported by Lions Clubs.   KidSight provides vision screenings for children from six months through high school.  Then they follow-up with parents of the kids who have been referred to an eye doctor.  KidSight also tries to provide options for payment assistance with that vision care, including calling upon Missouri’s Lions Clubs to help children in their area.   But with limited resources, KidSight staff must focus on the larger population areas where they can do hundreds of screenings in a day.   

Mike Hall, a local Lion, became aware of this problem when he asked KidSight to set up a vision screening at the Grant City school and Head Start.  They didn’t have the staff to get to Worth County, but he found out they were interested in training Lions to be volunteer screeners, especially in rural areas.  And so it started.  In 2018 Mike went through the volunteer vetting process and was trained to use a KidSight’s photoscreening device.  

The device is a handheld “camera” that can take a “picture” of a child’s eyes from three feet away in just seconds.  KidSight vision screenings were “contactless” before that was a thing.  The device, really more of a computer than a camera, provides immediate results to the screener on six potential vision problems including nearsightedness, farsightedness, lazy eye, and astigmatism.   Generally, 8 – 10% of children screened are referred to an eye doctor for follow-up on previously undetected vision problems.

The Lions Clubs of the 22 counties of northwest Missouri (District 26-M4) have since bought two of these specialized and expensive screening devices for KidSight, stipulating that they be used by volunteer Lions in northwest Missouri.   The Grant City Lions have had exclusive use of one of the cameras for the last year.

Additional Grant City Lions have been trained and are active vision screeners.  Paul Myers, Bill Calhoon, and Sherri Runde are trained to do the screenings.  Marti Myers and Maria Stanley are trained to do the prep and paperwork.   These Lions go in pairs and spend from ½ to 6 hours at a screening site plus travel time.   Last year our Grant City Lions did vision screenings in 10 counties and performed roughly 20% of the total KidSight screenings statewide that were done by volunteers rather than paid KidSight staff.  

Paul Myers thinks about it this way.  “Every time we identify a kid with a potential problem, I think that for the price of a gallon or two of gas, we've possibly changed someone's life forever. It feels like a great bargain to me.”

Lions Club International was founded in Chicago in 1917.  In 1925 Helen Keller called upon Lions Clubs to champion the cause of services to the blind and visually impaired.   Lions Clubs around the world have stood up to address this need in many, many forms ever since.   There are now more than 48,000 Lions Clubs worldwide and vision remains one of five global causes supported by Lions along with diabetes, the environment, hunger, and childhood cancer.  Anyone wanting to know more or to get involved can contact Mike Hall, Bill Calhoon, or any of our Grant City Lions.

David Hunt Honored for 40 Years of Service to Lions; New Officers Named

New officers for the Grant City Lions were installed Tuesday at their regular meeting. W.R. O’Riley, who was a Past International Vice-President of Lions, emceed the ceremony. His wife, Carole, who was a Past President of Maryville Host Lions Club, was also present.

Named as new officers for the year were Michael Riley (President), David Gentleman (Second Vice-President), Bill Calhoon (Treasurer), and Marty Myers (Secretary and Service Chair).

David Hunt was recognized for 40 years of service to the organization. Richard Rowen was recognized for 29 years of service. Teresa Gentleman was inducted as a new member of the club, which now stands at 31 members.

Revenue from concession sales from ball games was $535. Gentleman gave a report on a pumpkin patch that he is growing along with several other members of the community on donated land. They will sell the pumpkins to Hy-Vee and Lions will get the proceeds. They are looking into donating some of the pumpkins to families in need.

Work was lined up for the Young Farmers Tractor Pull, which will be held in August.

Marti Meyers Named Grant City Lions President

Marti Meyers was named the new Grant City Lions Club President at their regular meeting Tuesday. New officers were named at that meeting. Matt Martz was named vice-president, Kevin Harding second vice-president, Bill Calhoon was renamed treasurer, and Mike Cook was lion tamer.

The Lions Club voted to give funds to various causes. They donated $500 to Leader Dog, which provides dogs for blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind people. This charity is supported by many Lions Clubs around the country. They also voted to donate $100 to the Worth County Red Cross Drive headed by Judith Matteson. In January, they donated $200 to Audio Reader. A project of the University of Kansas, they provide audio reading for blind and print-disabled persons; they have helped local people in the area. All funds donated to the Grant City Lions Club by the public, given through memorial funds, or raised through their activities are given to charitable causes. Administrative costs are covered through membership dues. Typically, money is given to sight-related activities and local causes along with a local scholarship.

The club agreed to help the Young Farmers Tractor Pull that will be held on August 6th. However, they will not be doing the Draft Horse Pull this year due to lack of interest and lack of local participation.

Lions Reschedule 4-Wheeler Races for July 12th

The Grant City Lions, after having their 4-wheeler races canceled again due to inclement weather, have rescheduled the event for July 12th.

Seven Lions, three Leos, and one guest participated in highway cleanup and received pins for their efforts.

The Lions will help this year with the Pickering Lions Horse Show on Thursday, July 30th, with serving food. They will also be helping with the Worth County Young Farmers Tractor Pull on the 31st at the Fairgrounds as well as putting on their Tractor Pull on August 2nd.

The Lions voted to take out a $90 ad for the program for the Lions All Star Football Game.

Bill Calhoon reported that two teams, one on the boys side and one on the girls side, were shorthanded during the Lions All-Star Basketball Game. Ad revenue was down, but attendance was good. The event is looking for a new location; the Ketchum Center will be available for next year's all-star game, but the dorms will undergo remodeling. Kaitlyn Davidson's team finished second on the girls side.

Four New Members Inducted Into Grant City Lions

Four new members were inducted into the Grant City Lions Club by 1st Vice District Governor Therran Gaines at the regular meeting Tuesday. They were Dagwood Gentleman, J.W. Harding, Josh Hager, and Jesse Stark. The Lions Club has gained members this year even as membership has declined in the district. Bill Calhoon was recognized for sponsoring new members into the club.

All members are asked to bring two cans of food to their next meeting to help with the national organization's food drive for the centennial in 2017. Also, there will be a centennial service challenge, which will involve club members doing numerous acts of service during their centennial week. Grant City's club is marking its 35th anniversary; it was founded in 1979.

The Grant City club recently made a donation to the Leader Dog program, which gives guide dogs to blind people. Gaines gave a talk about his recent visit to their headquarters in Rochester, MN, where they are in the process of building new kennells. He said that he was led blindfolded by a dog and that it felt like he was going really fast. One lady's dog has gotten to the point where she can tell it what room to go to and the dog will take here there. On one occassion, the dog remembered a room from a hotel from one year ago perfectly.

A leadership training forum will be held in Branson in February. The district meeting has been set for March 13th to 14th.

Richard Rowen Honored for 25 Years Service for Lions

Lion Richard Rowen was honored last Tuesday for 25 years of service to the Grant City Lions Club. 15 members and guests were present at the regular meeting. One new member, Kevin Harding, was inducted into the club and three more will be inducted next month. He was inducted by District Governor Richard Warner.

A movie night will be held on Saturday, November 1st by the Leo Club at the Worth County Elementary School. It will be for preschool to high school students.

The Lions Club voted to purchase Christmas dinners for eight area families. The worldwide goal is to feed 25 million needy people between now and 2017. The Grant City Lions Club is asking members to bring one can of food to meetings in November.

Grant City Lions Raise $318 from Pancake Breakfast

The Grant City Lions Club raised $318 from the Pancake Breakfast held during the Fall Festival.

Seven Lions Club members and four Leos participated in a recent highway cleanup along 46.

The Leo Club sold $100 worth of wool products for their first fundraiser. There were two members of the club present at the ribbon cutting of the Nature Trail at the Fall Festival. They also conducted a blind walk at the Fall Festival to show what happens when people lose sight to diabetes. On November 1st, the Lions will host a free movie night at the school from 5 to 7:30.

The Lions Club made a small donation to the Senior Center to cover their expenses for hosting the Pancake Breakfast. Most of the proceeds will go to the Worth County Progress Organization.

Grant City Lions Plan Pancake Breakfast, Free Diabetes Screening

Grant City Lions are planning numerous activities for the Worth County Fall Festival that will be held on October 4th. They will have a pancake breakfast at the Senior Center starting at 7 until all the food runs out. They will then have a diabetes walk following the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Nature Trail that will take place at 10 that morning. At 1, Robert Jobst will help give free diabetes screening.

Jennifer Runde wrote a thank you letter for the scholarship she received from the Grant City Lions last year.

There were 11 kids present at the September 6th Leo Club meeting. Marti Myers said that she was waiting for some membership forms to be returned. A Halloween Movie Night will be held on November 1st, since October 31st falls on Friday night, when football is scheduled. There will be three movies shown so that kids can watch something that is age appropriate. There will be snacks and crafts.

The Grant City Lions will have a highway cleanup Saturday on September 27th at 1 pm along Route 46 east of Grant City, possibly with help from the Leo Club.

Mike Hall Elected President of Grant City Lions

New officers were elected for the Grant City Lions for the 2014-2015 year. Mike Hall was elected President, Paul and Marty Myers were Vice Presidents, Bill Calhoon was reelected as Treasurer, and Carol Hall was reelected as Secretary. They were inducted at the regular meeting Tuesday by District Governor Elect Richard Warner.

Proceeds from the recent Garage Sale in Allendale came to $1081. This includes $951 in sales and $130 in donations.

Community Action Partnership wrote a fundraising letter regarding the annual Back to School Fair, which serves over 100 children each year for Worth County. The Grant City Lions will help with the Fair this year once again and they agreed to donate $300 this year. They will also run the diabetes screening clinic that will be held there. The Bethany Lions will do the eye exam and the Tri-County Health Department will do free shots. The event is funded entirely by donations, and all money donated will stay local.

The Lions Club voted to donate $25 towards the Lions Football All-Star Game.

The Lions will sponsor a youth organization at the school starting with the next school year, which will perform community service activities.

180 Four Wheeler Race Rescheduled

The 180 Four-Wheeler race sponsored by the Grant City Lions has been rescheduled to July 20th in Allendale. Registration will be from 11-12:30 with the race starting at 1. A food tent will be provided. Admission will be $2 at the gate for non-racers. Entry fee will be $15 for racers for each race. Club 180 rules will apply. For more information, contact Mike Hall at (660) 786-2301 after 5 p.m.

Josh Warner wins Lions District Peace Poster Contest

Worth County student Josh Warner won the Lions Peace Poster Contest for the district. Warner was presented with the award by Bill Calhoon of the Grant City Lions Club Monday afternoon at the Worth County Library. Warner's entry was part of a worldwide competition in which children from all over the world drew peace posters. The winner was a 13 year old from Taiwan. There are Lions clubs in over 206 countries around the world which were eligible to enter this year's contest. Josh Warner is the son of Duane and Tish Warner of Grant City and the grandson of Chuck and Janet Warner of Grant City and Elbert Risser and the late Pat Risser of Sheridan.