Seymour Lions Roar "We Serve"
The Seymour Lions have been involved in providing service to their community for over 50 years. We have been involved in many projects over this half century. Here are just a few:
Provided the first bullet proof vest for the Seymour Police Department.
Free Vision Screenings for Seymour Youngsters
A free Photorefractive vision screening is offered to Seymour School District children ages 3-6. The screening involves taking two photographs with instant film of the child's eyes. The photographs are then sent to and analyzed by and eye care specialist.
Photorefractive vision testing can detect the presence of six possible eye disorders: nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, anisometropia (unequal refraction), strabismus (misaligned eyes), and cataracts. All of these conditions if left undetected can or may lead to Amblyopia (blurred or lazy eye). Amblyopia can be successfully treated if detected early.
The screening requires no physical contact with the child, and poses no risk to their health. A trained technician conducts the test, and the parents are notified of the results. This is a preliminary procedure, and does not constitute a diagnosis of vision problems. The costs of this program are covered by the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation (MLERF).
We screen over 100 children each year in the Headstart Program, the Preschool, and the Elementary School.
We are able to offer this service because of our relationship with the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation (MLERF). MLERF's cost for each child is $21. To have the screening done at an eye doctor, it would cost approx. $135.
Share Your Christmas
Seymour Lions Club has been making Christmas brighter for the area's underprivileged for nearly 20 years. The Seymour Lions Club sponsors it's annual “Share Your Christmas” within the Seymour School District.
Those families that are in need during the Christmas season complete an application and mail it before the deadline. Applications may be picked up at the Division of Family Services in Marshfield and in Seymour (at the Senior Citizens Center and Seymour Head Start Center).
An independent review committee, who are committed to treating all applications as fairly and confidently as possible, processes the applications. All applications will be reviewed by the committee, which is made up of individuals from a wide range of church, school, senior citizen, and Lions Club members.
The Seymour community has also been very giving to this project by sponsoring families and by providing cash donations. Theses cash donations are used to purchase fresh produce, meats, breads, and other food items; or for individuals or groups that might not have a sponsor. Each year, this program helps anywhere from 40-60 families.
Children in the Seymour School District (grades K - 7) are learning first hand what it means to serve. The collect food and money each year to support this project. The Lions 
have a school assembly, and each classroom brings collected food items to the gym to see how large of a food harvest they have made.
During the assembly the High School Choir sings, awards are given, and the class that collects the most non-perishable food items and money will be awarded a pizza party. Each year we are able to collect over 1,500 cans of food for this project. We will announce the totals at the assembly but I can tell you they have exceeded both this year.
Cash donations may be given to any Seymour Lions Club member, or mailed to Seymour Lions Club, C/O Share Your Christmas, P.O. Box 235, Seymour, Mo. 65746.
Seymour Lions Scholarship Award
For many years the Seymour community was privileged to have a very active and service-minded person, Harry Jennings. A graduate of Seymour High School, Harry went on to become a schoolteacher, then retired with the Carnation Milk Company.
A very active member of the Seymour Lions Club, Lion Jennings was also active in the Masonic Lodge, served on the school’s board o
f education, city council, and the volunteer fire department.
With Lion Harry’s passing in 1977, the family requested that memorial contributions be made to the Seymour Lions Club. In his memory the club established a scholarship for a SHS student using the interest from the contributions.
Since then, the Lions Club has added to the account, including our own PDG Bob Crump's father.. The former Lioness Club, now merged with the Lions, and other individuals have added to this scholarship to make it the amount given today.
Lion Harry Jennings was always giving to the Seymour area. With his family’s thoughtfulness for remembering the Lions Club, Lion Harry Jennings continues to help those in need through the Seymour Lions Club Scholarship.
Each year, the Seymour Lions Club accept applications from graduating Seymour High School Seniors. From those applicants, we award a $500 scholarship that the student may use for college expenses.
A Ton of Food
Seymour Lions Club saw an urgent need in our community. This King's Pantry, created for the Seymour area needed help restocking its shelves. It is not a need that you would ever think about going unfulfilled. Our local food pantry needed help, and the lions answered that call in a big way, by providing a ton of food in order to help some struggling families in the area.
Trash Pickup in the City of Seymour
Local Seymour Lions Club Members spend their evenings once a quarter collecting trash along
Clinton Avenue (Business 60 / K Highway).
Seymour Lions Club Members (and their children) participate in the cleanup event.
We feel that it is important to have an attractive community. We are proud to be residents of Seymour (and surrounding areas), and we know that we, as Lions, set an example for others.
Girls Softball Field Gets New Lights
The idea for the softball light project first came about when a Lions member was attending her daughter's softball games, and the junior varsity games. These games were often cancelled because there were no lights on the field.
The Seymour Lions Club decided to launch a "light up the field" project. Our club ear marked two thousand dollars as seed money for the project. Once the fundraising had a start, local area businesses were contacted, as well as other organizations for their support. Hutchens Industries has always provided great support to the community in the past, so Jim Deathridge was contacted, and they were delighted to assist. They provided a generous donation of one thousand dollars.
The Superintendent of the Seymour Schools agreed to budget the remaining amount in the next years fiscal budget to complete the project. And, the Mayor committed the city to do the electrical work on the project for free.
The " specs" for the project drawn up by Cooper Supply.
Lions $2,000.00
Huthcen's Industries $1,000.00
Dexter McClung $100.00
School District $7,000.00
City of Seymour : Labor of installation