When Evelyn Brissette’s husband passed away from lung cancer in 2016, she decided that she had more time on her hands to do some of the things that would make her happy and be able to help others. She joined the Windham Lions Club, and that decision has led Brissette to be awarded the highest form of recognition possible for a Lions Club member.
 |
| Evelyn Brissette of Windham was presented the Melvin Jones Award for her humanitarian efforts and devotion to the community. It's the highest honor that a Lions Club member can receive. From left are Gene Tanguay, Windham Lions Club President Camille Swander, Evelyn Brissette, and Patricia Tanguay. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
Brissette served as president of the Windham Lions Club for several years and created the club’s Adopt-A-Family program that provides Christmas gifts to families in need in the Windham Community. She also has participated in community meals and the RSU 14 Backpack Program and volunteers for the Windham Parks and Recreation Department and at senior citizen luncheons. She’s active in the Lions Club’s eyeglass screening, Touch-A-Truck, the Windham Lions Annual Craft Fair, Stuff the Bus, and many other community activities.
“I saw an article in The Windham Eagle, I think that first summer, that the town was looking for volunteers to give out lunches to the children at Dundee Park,” Brissette said. “I thought I can do that and totally enjoyed it. When they stopped distributing food at the park but did it at the middle school one summer with parents picking up a much larger quantity of food, I joined to help there. I heard about the weekly backpack program, so I joined our Tuesday morning group of fellow volunteers at least four or five years ago at this point. We started at Windham Primary School and have been at Windham Middle School for several years now. During COVID when the children were home, I made home food deliveries.”
She joined the Windham Lions Club in 2019 after being invited by longtime friends Gene and Patty Tanguay.
“I have always enjoyed doing whatever I can to make life as good as possible for others,” Brissette said. “The Windham Lions Club has given me the opportunities that I needed to get out there and do even more.”
Receiving this award means a lot to Brissette.
“I did not do what I have done for the past several years to be rewarded but just to help others in need,” she said. “I feel very fortunate that my family and children have never gone without. We were never rich, but we always managed. Knowing how hard some families have it today really concerns me when the children’s needs are not met, especially when it comes to food.”
Originally from Portland, Brissette and her husband moved to Windham in 2012.
“We needed a more accessible home with one floor living only,” she said. “Stairs are not my friends anymore. As much as my husband liked to keep busy, he had to cut back on keeping up with our big, older home. Moving to Windham was the best move we could have made, especially since I became a widow a few years afterward. I have met wonderful people through the Windham Lions Club and the businesses, and others that I have established relationships with while organizing our Lions Club events. I also enjoy working with the Parks and Recreation Department as a volunteer and participating in their events.”
Working at Shaw's Supermarkets for 29 1/2 years, Brissette spent the majority of her career in the Payroll and Human Resources departments and she helped to organize in-store United Way fundraising drives and was a United Way Loan Executive twice.
“When I left Shaw's, I became a companion/caregiver with Home Partners for 12 years, a job I truly enjoyed,” Brissette said. “At 73 years young I thought I finally deserved to spend more time to pursue other interests as well. As it happened, I left Home Partners and joined the Windham Lions Club that same year.”
According to Brissette, besides organizing United Way campaigns in the Shaw’s store, she was occasionally asked to solicit volunteers to donate blood for Red Cross blood drives.
“The personnel and training coordinators would sometimes set up a little competition between ourselves and other stores to see who could convince the most associates to donate blood,” she said. “One year I convinced and really begged 40 associates to donate. That was one out of every three or four of the associates in my store, including me. I have no shame for a good cause. Our store ended up having the most associates that donated blood. The joke in the store afterwards was to watch out if you see Evelyn coming. She will be asking you for either your money or your blood.”
The Windham Lions Club was formed in 1969 and is a small but active group of service-minded men and women who want to make Windham a better place to live by serving the community in a variety of ways. It is part of the world’s largest and most active service club organization, Lions Club International.
Windham Lions Club members work with their fellow Lions in more than 170 counties and geographical areas to seek out and help the needy in their own communities, their country, and the world.
The Windham Lions Club meetings are held at the Windham Hill United Church of Christ, 140 Windham Center Road in Windham Maine on the first Wednesday of each month.
For more details about the Windham Lions Club send an email to windhamlionsme@gmail.com or visit http://sites.google.com/site/windhamlionsclubmaine/announcements <
No comments:
Post a Comment