BEMIDJI LIONS CLUB

Dozens join in Bemidji's 4th annual D-Feet Hearing Loss Walk

Leo Pomerenke — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 20:39:19 GMT

BEMIDJI — Diamond Point Park was buzzing with community support on Saturday as the Minnesota Lions Hearing Foundation hosted its fourth annual D-Feet Hearing Loss Walk, raising awareness and money for hearing loss.

Led by a snowman, the symbol of Minnesota Lions Clubs, the attendees walked from Diamond Point to Paul Bunyan Park and back, capping off the event with food, games and music from the Empty Cooler Band.

“I think we more than doubled (in attendance) from last year,” said event organizer Susie Balstad. “It's a wonderful, large group of people walking, and Team Kenley is a big part of that.”

Team Kenley is in support of Kenley Heller, a 3-year-old who was born with severe hearing loss in her left ear. She celebrated her birthday at the event along with Team Kenley, which consisted of around 40 adults and 20 children.

“We raised about $4,500 as a group for this event,” said Kenley’s grandmother, Angie Scripture.

The Bemidji D-Feet Hearing Loss Walk, started in 2022, is a sister event to one held at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska. Gladwin Lynne of the Minnesota Lions Hearing Foundation attended the Chaska event, but realized there needed to be one in northern Minnesota.

“The Lions wanted to do something up North, because they said it's always down here and there's nobody coming from up North,” Lynne said. “So I met Susie Balstad from Bemidji, and we started organizing people. And I always thought Bemidji was a good place to have it. It's very scenic here.”

It’s become an annual event since then, raising money for different Lions hearing loss initiatives, such as a mobile hearing test van, supplying hearing aids for those in need and funding for research at the University of Minnesota.

Lynne and Balstad will both be retiring from the Lions after this year. Mary Sorensen will take over running the event next year, which she says she wants to keep growing and make people more aware of hearing loss.

“We just want to make the public more aware of, you know, the problems with hearing loss and make it more affordable to people that can't afford having hearing aids,” Sorensen said.

“But it’s fun, everyone has fun,” Balstad said. “When you get here and you start smiling, then you can't wipe the smile off your face.”

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Bemidji Lions Club donates to BHS sign language class

Pioneer Staff Report — Sat, 03 May 2025 19:10:00 GMT

The Bemidji Lions Club recently made a $500 donation to the Bemidji High �� sign language class for their field trip to Faribault to visit the �� for the Deaf.

Brooklyn Sjostrom and Thaddeus Variance from the Sign Language 2 class at BHS were the guest speakers at a Bemidji Lions Club meeting.

Following their presentation and a question-and-answer period, First Vice President Lion Bob Sandbo presented the students with a $500 club donation to offset trip expenses.

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Bemidji Lions Club donates $800 to Northern Lights Council of Scouting America

Pioneer Staff Report — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT

The Bemidji Lions Club recently made an $800 donation to the Northern Lights Council of Scouting America.

Michelle Bedford, executive director of the Northern Lights Council of Scouting America, was the guest speaker at a recent Lions meeting.

Following the presentation, second vice president David Bahr presented her with an $800 donation on behalf of the Lions.

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Lions Clubs fundraisers leave lasting impact on Bemidji teen Gerritt Vigen

Daltyn Lofstrom — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 12:30:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — Bemidji High �� freshman Gerritt Vigen’s past experiences are guiding him toward his future.

As he nears the completion of his first year of high school, he looks forward to the remainder of his days at BHS, which started off strong in 2024-2025. Finding his niche, Vigen has kept himself busy by getting involved with BHS’ Vocalmotive show choir, moving lawns during the summer and bowling, among other activities.

“I like the sense of community,” he said regarding Vocalmotive. “You spend seven months with them, so you grow close to this group of friends that you have similarities with.”

Sharing common high school experiences with others, Vigen also stands apart as one of 10 Americans who will experience hearing impairment in their lives. He was diagnosed with sensory neural hearing loss in kindergarten, after which he would receive his first set of hearing aids.

“For nine years, I had those and then they started to wear out,” he said. “Most hearing aids only last five to six years, so nine years is out of the ordinary.”

When looking for replacements, Gerritt’s mom, Paula, noted the cost associated with the specific type of hearing aids Gerritt needed.

“He couldn’t just have the basic kind that insurance will graciously cover,” Paula said. “He needed the limousine of hearing aids, which are very spendy.”

Gerritt also required a frequency modulated — FM — system, which uses external microphones that broadcast audio signals directly into receivers worn by those with hearing loss.

Given its place in the Bemidji area as civic organizations, the Bemidji Lions and First City Lions clubs would step in to support the Vigens by means of an eggroll fundraiser. With consultation from the Hearing Wellness Center of Bemidji, Gerritt would find his right fit.

“They worked with us to make sure we ended up getting him the hearing aids he needed,” First City Lions member Susie Balstad said, “and we still have a hearing aid fund for people who need hearing aids to this day, so thank you, Gerritt.”

Supporting research

Alongside the funds previously raised by the clubs, the Bemidji Lions and First City Lions host the annual D-Feet Hearing Loss walk, which hit its third year running in 2024. This event has coincided with the long-running D-Feet Hearing Loss walk at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska since 2022 and raises funds for the Minnesota Lions Hearing Foundation.

“The walk had been going for about 12 years (in Chaska), which is beautiful,” Balstad added, “but there are some of us who don’t go to the one in Chaska, so we had the idea that it would be nice to have a site in northern Minnesota for clubs to take part in the walk without going to the cities. Several sites were mentioned, but Bemidji is pretty central for northern Minnesota.”

Balstad credits this walk as the largest fundraiser for the foundation, with past funds allocated to a variety of spaces and projects. One year, funds were used to renovate the temporal bone lab at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Otolaryngology.

The lab was originally built in 1995 with grants from the Lions with the purpose of teaching neurosurgeons and audiologists as well as medical students about the basic anatomy of the ear. Balstad added that upcoming efforts include work on a mobile hearing screening van to service underserved areas in greater Minnesota.

“The Hearing Foundation is a big partner with the University of Minnesota’s hearing unit,” First City Lions member Joy Barclay said. “Our walk is meant to support research for people like Gerritt and purchase hearing aids for people who are young and old, but it also encompasses a variety of things that the foundation does to support many, many people.”

Minnesota Lions clubs have raised more than $7 million to support research and establish several programs, including newborn hearing screening, a children’s hearing clinic, voice clinic and an affordable hearing aid program.

A Lions member herself, Paula noted Gerritt’s fearlessness talking at meetings about his experiences and being on the receiving end of such generosity — a favor he hopes to return after graduating and pursuing a career in audiology.

“He’s not afraid to talk to people, so I told him that maybe he should come in and show everybody how his hearing aids and everything else work,” Paula said. “People donate to a lot of causes, but it’s not often that you see firsthand where your donation goes.”

Event details

Bemidji’s fourth annual D-Feet Hearing Loss walk is set for Saturday, June 7, at Diamond Point Park.

Registration for the 2-mile walk will begin at 8:30 a.m., with the walk set for 9:45. The route will follow the sidewalk from Diamond Point Park pavilion to Paul and Babe and back.

“Personally, I don’t think they could have chosen a more beautiful location since we will be walking along the shore of Lake Bemidji,” Balstad said.

After the walk, participants will be given lunch and kept entertained by games, activities and live music by the Empty Cooler Band.

The cost to participate is $25 per person without a T-shirt or $35 to receive an event T-shirt. Participation is free for children 12 years and younger.

Those interested can register online at secure.qgiv.com/event/2025-d-feet-hearing-loss. More information can be found on the MN Lions Hearing Foundation Facebook page.

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Bemidji Lions Club donates to Bemidji Area Food Shelf

Pioneer Staff Report — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 18:07:00 GMT

The Bemidji Lions Club recently made a $2,000 donation to the Bemidji Area Food Shelf.

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Bemidji Lions Club donates to North Country Food Bank

Pioneer Staff Report — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 16:00:00 GMT

North Country Food Bank Executive Director Susie Novak Boelter was the guest speaker at a noon Bemidji Lions Club meeting.

During her presentation, she explained how the food bank covers 21 counties and distributes 7 million pounds of food annually. Following the program, Lions President Ethan Larson presented the food bank with a $400 donation from the Club.

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Bemidji Lions Club donates to Headwaters Music and Arts

Pioneer Staff Report — Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Board members from Headwaters Music and Arts were guests at a noon Bemidji Lions Club meeting.

Executive Director Tricia Andrews shared happenings at the school. Carla Norris Raynbird played the piano and challenged the Lions to a game of Name That Tune.

Following the game, Lions President Ethan Larson presented the group with an $800 donation from the Club.

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First City Lions Club donates to Evergreen Youth and Family Services

Pioneer Staff Report — Sat, 11 Jan 2025 17:30:00 GMT

The First City Lions Club recently made a $300 donation to Evergreen Youth and Family Services.

First City Lions Secretary Shirley Sherman presented the check to the Evergreen Youth and Family Services Director Julia Montebello, who accepted it on behalf of the organization.

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Bemidji Lions Club donates to Boys and Girls Club of Bemidji

Pioneer Staff Report — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 16:00:00 GMT

Karl Mork, impact administrative director with the Boys and Girls Club of the Bemidji Area, spoke at a recent meeting of the Bemidji Lions Club.

After a question and answer period, Lions Club President Ethan Larson presented Mork with a $700 donation in support of Boys and Girls Club activities.

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Bemidji Lions Club announces Peace Poster Contest winners

Pioneer Staff Report — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 15:00:00 GMT

The Bemidji Lions Club recently announced Katelyn Wilkowski as the winner and Quinn Friedt as the second-place prize holder of the Lions Peace Poster Contest.

The Peace Poster Contest is a worldwide contest held through the International Lions Club. The posters represent what world peace means to the students, a release said.

Several posters were judged to determine the winners.

Wilkowski won $100 for the first-place prize. Friedt received $50 for the second-place prize.

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