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Projects
Projects
Vision Screenings
The Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club has a trained team to screen preschool and elementary-school children. To date we have screened more than 16,500 children. A large percentage of those we screen are referred for further examination. Adult screening are also provided at special events such as the Akron Blind Center's White Cane Event.
If a child fails our vision screening he/she is referred to the school nurse to be rescreened. If the child fails that screening a letter is sent to the parents stating that the child should see an eye doctor. Through our sister program, Greater Akron Lions Eyecare Program (GALEP), prescription glasses are provided at no cost to qualifying individuals.
Service Dogs
To date, the Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club has purchased 27 service dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired. A service Dog helps them live with greater independence, safety and mobility. The cost to train, feed, board and provide medical care exceeds $10,000 per dog.
Leader Dogs for the Blind was founded in 1939 by three members of the Uptown Lions Club of Detroit. They were inspired by a fellow Lion and his desire for a service dog after he lost his sight. Since that date, the organization has successfully matched and graduated more than 15,900 person/ dog teams and Lions Clubs continue to be dedicated partners.
Eyeglass & Hearing Aid Collections
Lion volunteers collect used eyeglasses and hearing aids for donation to
Lions Recycling Centers located throughout the world. There they are cleaned and refurbished for those in need. Collection sites are conveniently located throughout Greater Akron.
Bulldog Bags, Inc.
Since its start in 2015, Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club has been involved in a community-sponsored program benefiting children of the Stow-Munroe Falls School District. Bulldog Bags is a weekend food program for children receiving free or reduced lunches.
The school system estimates that more than 600 children in the district do not have food available to them on weekends. We want students to show up Monday morning hungry for learning, not hungry for food. Each food bag contains an average of ten items plus personal-care items. All bags are delivered to the schools the same day as packing and are anonymous to everyone except the teachers distributing the bags to the appropriate children.
Originally starting with just the elementary schools, Bulldog Bags has expanded to include the middle schools, high school and Holy Family school. In addition, a monthly Bulldog Box of non-perishable foods, frozen foods and fresh vegetables and fruits is also prepared for each qualifying family under the Bulldog Bags, Inc. program.
Red Cross Blood Drives
Red Cross Blood Drives
The Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club has co-sponsored a Red Cross Blood Drive for more than 15 years. As of March, 2026, we've held 93 blood drives which produced 4,684 pints of blood -- enough to benefit more than 14,000 patients!
The Drive is located in the lower hall of Holy Family Church in Stow. It's held on a Tuesday and runs from Noon to 6:00 pm. To donate, call 1-800-733-2767 or go to RedCrossBlood.org and enter sponsor code STOWLIONS to make an appointment at our next blood drive.
If you just show up without an appointment, we will try our best to squeeze you in, but please understand that may not be possible if no donation slots are available.
Stolion Awards
Students in all Stow and Munroe Falls schools, who demonstrate the following qualities, are eligible for our club's Stolion Award:
Students in all Stow and Munroe Falls schools, who demonstrate the following qualities, are eligible for our club's Stolion Award:
1. Accepts responsibility, does work promptly and efficiently, is trustworthy
2. Respects authority, knows and abides by the rules
3. Is respected by others, has a good personality, and is honest and fair
4. Does more than required and is dependable
5. Has shown unusual improvement in any one or more of the above qualities.
The first awards were presented in June, 1958. Thirty-one students have received them, including current Lion Robert Platt. Today, more than 600 students are recognized each year with a Stolion Award.
Pay It Forward
Dedication and excellent service to the residents of Stow and Munroe Falls needs to be acknowledged, especially during difficult times. The Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club recognizes employees for their service in Police, Fire and all other Stow and Munroe Falls city departments by providing delicious snacks on Valentine's Day.
Holiday Baskets
The Lions purchase and distribute Holiday Baskets, complete with all of
the traditional Thanksgiving foods, to eighteen deserving families - two families in each of our nine schools. These
baskets also include a gift card to one of our local grocery stores.
StowStrides
To raise awareness during National Diabetes Awareness Month, we launched StowStrides, a Strides for Diabetes Awareness event on Facebook. Residents were encouraged to get moving (walk, run, bike or dance) and log their minutes of activity.
Freedom House
Another organization we've come to know and support is the Freedom House located just over the border in Kent, Ohio. They help veterans find and maintain employment, assist in obtaining benefits and finding permanent housing. They serve homeless veterans in our community and help them to achieve greater self-sufficiency.
Salvation Army
Each year, the Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club don their finest holiday attire (or ugly sweater) to Ring the Bell for the Salvation Army, whose mission is to interrupt and break the cycle of poverty in our community, enabling
economic self-sufficiency and active contribution to the social,
economic and spiritual well-being of the community.
Ronald McDonald House & Aluminum Pull-Tabs
When the Ronald McDonald Houses of northeast Ohio (Akron and Cleveland) encouraged individuals and organizations to collect pull tabs, the Lions accepted the challenge. The tabs come from drinks, soups, pet food and other canned foods. 1,000 pull tabs is equal to one pound of aluminum.
The tabs are turned into a local recycler and the proceeds go into each Ronald McDonald House's Family Fund. The amount received is based on the price of aluminum at that time. At the end of 2025, our club had donated 125 pounds of pull tabs!
Toys for Tots
Each year, a team of Lions visits local stores to shop for underserved kids in our community.
Then they're delivered to the nearby Toys for Tots collection center and distributed as Christmas gifts.
Shop with a Cop
Our club is also pleased to support the annual Shop with a Cop, which raises funds for kids in need who want to do their own holiday shopping! Shop With A Cop has been a holiday tradition for more than a decade. On a specified day, officers who spent recent weeks raising funds for kids in
need finally get to take their young charges shopping.
Safety Town
Due to the significant contribution to the development of Stow's Safety Town, the Stow-Monroe Falls Lions were granted naming rights to the streets within the Safety Town complex.
Stow Outdoor Accessible Recreation Playground (S.O.A.R.)
The Lions made a significant contribution to allow the city to construct the playground. The playground is specifically built for special needs children to ensure their safety while they play.
Highland Elementary School Playground
The playground at Highland Elementary School deteriorated to the point where it was unsafe for the children. The Lions paid for a new playground, and the children can now play in a safe environment.
Scholarship Program
Each year, the Lions donate four, $1,500 scholarships to deserving graduating seniors from the Stow-Munroe Falls High School. We receive in excess of 40 applications each year and the students are chosen by a committee based on grades, personality, activities and personal need.
Safety Buckets
Based on input from the Police and Fire departments, our club created a Safety Bucket filled with items that may be needed in a classroom, in case of an emergency and until first responders arrive. Implemented in 2013, we distributed more than 400 safety buckets to each classroom in every school in Stow and Munroe Falls.
Our club purchased and/or collected items from companies to place in the buckets. Each bucket contains bottles of water, Ace bandages, bug spray, paper towels, a fleece blanket, toilet paper, trash bag, duct tape and a hammer (to break a window if necessary). Each year, Safety Buckets are replenished or replaced as needed.
Down's Syndrome Christmas Party
For more than ten years, our club supported the Down's Syndrome Association's annual Christmas
Party. We provided financial support as well as helping with the children during the party.
Stow Historical House
When the Stow Historical Society was unable to raise funds to hire summer grounds keepers for their historical buildings, the Stow-Munroe Falls Lions stepped up to assist. We chose to "Adopt" the schoolhouse which was a recent addition to the historical setting at Silver Springs Park. Several Lions volunteered several afternoons and evenings weeding and cleaning up the grounds surrounding the schoolhouse.
The Stow Historical Society preserves the history of Stow, Ohio, through historic home tours, educational programs and the annual Harvest Festival. The Stow-Munroe Falls Lions were honored to support this important organization.