NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
Hatters of all ages enjoy a free hayride Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019 at Police Point Park thanks to an event held by the Lions Club of Medicine Hat.
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@MHNmocranker
The Lions Club of Medicine Hat spent their Wednesday night spreading a bit of Holiday cheer.
Lions members gathered at the hospital to set up Christmas decorations and ornaments in the children’s ward – something the organization has been doing for years.
“We’re here for our community,” said vice-president James Higgins. “I don’t know the exact number, but we’ve been doing this for quite a few years and it’s very rewarding.”
Higgins says the smiles on the kids’ faces always makes the night of volunteering worth it.
“Seeing them happy makes us happy,” he said. “We had our mascot, Theo, there and he went around giving candy to the kids. The kids seemed to be really excited to have us there.”
Higgins added the club always wants to help sick kids around Christmas time.
“This time of year – no one wants to be in the hospital,” he said. “We brought in two brand new Christmas trees, got the lights going and hung a few decorations around the rest of the ward.
“It was nice for us to get out and help our community.”
The Lions also held the annual Christmas Hayrides Sunday at Police Point Park – an event that drew roughly 2,000 people last year.
“That’s another event we’ve done forever,” said Higgins. “We’re anticipating the turnout to be about the same as last year.
“This is another fun event we know a lot of people look forward to every year.”
