Written by Mattie Powers // Graphic by Cooper Turman
The Searcy Lions Club is hosting “Saturday Morning Scramble” Saturday, April 29, at First Baptist Church in Searcy, inviting the community to a time of fellowship to raise money for those the organization serves.
Founded in 1947, the Searcy Lions Club organization works to provide the community with eye examinations and eyeglasses. Along with this, the club also offers training and other resources for individuals who have lost eyesight.
One of the Searcy Lions Club’s members is Cliff Ganus, retired distinguished professor of music from Harding University.
“Once we had over a hundred members, now it’s down to a dozen or so who are very active,” Ganus said. “Our primary purpose is eye care, and each month we’ll assist maybe eight people to have eye exams or glasses as they need them, so we raise money for that.”
This Saturday Morning Scramble breakfast will provide breakfast to anyone who buys a ticket, and people can come and go as they please within the allotted time slot of the event. The breakfast’s purpose is to serve as a fundraiser to raise money for the Searcy Lions Club and its mission. The breakfast will have donuts, coffee, milk and scrambled eggs with a variety of toppings.
Another member of the Searcy Lions Club is Hailey Heaton, lab technician in the College of Pharmacy. Heaton talked about what the Searcy Lions Club means to her.
“I used to work over at Lowry Eye Clinic, so I’m really familiar with eye care and everything,” Heaton said. “Yeah, it’s just something that I’ve been passionate about for a while, and I’m just really glad that I’ve gotten to give back to the community.”
Dr. Julie Hixson-Wallace, associate dean of faculty affairs and accreditation in the College of Pharmacy, is another member of the Searcy Lions Club. Hixson-Wallace described how the Saturday Morning Scramble is beneficial to the club.
“It is one of our main fundraisers for the year, and all of the funds that we raise go directly towards buying more eye exams and glasses for those in our community who need that,” Hixson-Wallace said.
She added that the organization has struggled with fundraising since COVID-19 occurred because events involving food service were not able to be executed.
“We are operating kind of close to the deficit,” Hixson-Wallace said. “And so we’re really hoping to raise a lot of funds so we can continue providing the eye exams and glasses for those in our community who need them.”
The Saturday Morning Scramble will be from 7:30-10:30 a.m. Tickets can be bought for $5 at the door, and children under 6 years old can eat free with an adult meal.
