FUNDRAISING
CLUB FUNDRAISING PROJECTS
Every dollar the Freedom District Lions Club (FDLC) raises from the public goes back into the public through our service projects and donations. Since our club was chartered in 1947, we have donated over $1,300,000, plus countless volunteer hours, to support vision, diabetes, childhood cancer, hunger, the environment and youth programs in our community, county, state and the world beyond. We are continuously examining possible new fundraisers and considering whether we should continue existing ones.
DON CHAMP MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
Each September, we hold the Don Champ Memorial Golf Tournament, open to all adults, men and women. Registration includes lunch, cart & green fees, refreshments on the course, a gift bag, door prizes and a closing dinner, and many generous local businesses raise additional funds as sponsors. All sponsors are listed on our Friends of the Lions page with a link to their business.
Thanks to all our amazing sponsors, golfers and volunteers for our 13th tournament on September 25, 2026, especially Research Financial Strategies and our president/chairperson, Lion Jim Moore! Read the story and see photos.
CITRUS FRUIT SALES
Since the 1970s, we have sold navel oranges, red grapefruit and other citrus fruit, delivered in early December. Each August our Citrus Fruit Committee secures fruit, quality and price from growers in Florida, California or Texas; members take orders September through early November, and a trailer normally delivers the fruit the first weekend in December for pickup at our Lions Building behind the SFDFD station at Route 32 and Freedom Ave. Fruit from the sale is also donated to two local food banks, and it makes a great gift for friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. Order early from any FDLC member, online at fdlcfruitsale.com, or by calling 410-549-LION (5466) and leaving your name and phone number so a Lion can call you back to take your order.
FRENCH FRY STAND AT THE FIREMAN’S CARNIVAL
Our biggest fundraiser of the year is the French Fry Stand we own and run at the week-long Sykesville-Freedom District Fire Department (SFDFD) carnival each June, behind the SFDFD station at Route 32 and Freedom Ave., where we have been since the carnival began many years ago. Members work one or more evenings cutting, frying and serving the potatoes to our friends and neighbors, and we also host a Lions information table. A significant portion of the profit is donated to the fire department, our partner since it was formed, and the proceeds fund service projects such as toys for children receiving cancer treatment, presents for needy families, and medical equipment we loan free of charge. Come out, eat some fries, and enjoy the carnival!
FREEDOM PARK SOCCER SNACK SHACK
Since Fall 2022, we have run the Soccer Snack Shack at Freedom Park, at Soccer Fields 7 and 8 by the second parking lot on the right as you enter the park. Every Saturday during the fall soccer season (this year through mid-November), our members serve breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks to soccer families and the community. The Snack Shack supports our service projects and Freedom Optimist Soccer, and it is a wonderful way to meet the neighbors we serve. Stop by and say hello, or Sign up for a Snack Shack shift (find “Snack Shack” on our calendar).
