Raymond Lions Club honors couple for community volunteer efforts

By Ed Pierce

The Raymond Lions Club has singled out the work of several longtime members to improve the lives of others in the community.

Raymond Lions Club has honored two members with 
service awards for volunteering in the community.
From left are Caryl Gilman, who received  a 10-year
service award. and her husband, Dale Gilman, who
received a 30-year service award, and Raymond Lions
Club President Laurie Wallace SUBMITTED PHOTO 

Caryl Gilman, a tireless volunteer in the iRaymond-Casco area, and her husband, Dale Gilman, were honored by the Raymond Lions Club during a meeting last month.

Laurie Wallace, Raymond Lions Club president, presented Caryl Gilman with a service award for 10 years of volunteering on behalf of others in the Raymond community.

She said that Caryl Gilman previously held the position of Secretary of the Raymond Lions Club. She also coordinates and participates in the vision screening of various age groups in the RSU 14 public school district and most recently volunteered at the Raymond Parks & Recreation's “Clean Up Day” at Sheri Gagnon Memorial Park. In the past, Caryl Gilman has also volunteered for the Raymond Food Pantry, Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing, and the Raymond Village Church and during tax season, she also has helped to prepare taxes at no charge for area seniors needing guidance.

In 2022, she was honored with the Lions Club International Melvin Jones Fellowship Award for individuals who provide a tremendous contribution to humanity and to the legacy of the Lions Club founder, Melvin Jones. This Fellowship Award is the highest form of recognition for a Lions Club member and embodies humanitarian ideas consistent with the nature and purpose of Lionism.

Dale Gilman is a founding member of the Raymond Lions Club, and he received a service award for 30 years of service to others in his community. Over the years, Dale Gilman has held multiple Raymond Lions Club offices during his service and takes the lead on many of the club's local projects.

“He was instrumental in installing, renovating and expanding the cans and bottles bins, the club's primary fundraiser,” Wallace said. “If there is repair work, such as at the Raymond Village Library or at the Raymond Community Forest that needs to be done, you will find Dale there with the right tools and the right skills.”

Wallace says that the Raymond Lions Club is honored and fortunate to have dedicated volunteers such as Caryl and Dale Gilman as active and engaged members of the club.

“Lions Club International’s mission is to empower Lions clubs, volunteers, and partners to improve health and well-being, strengthen communities, and support those in need through humanitarian services and grants that impact lives locally and globally, and encourage peace and international understanding,” Wallace said. “The Raymond Lions Club is a small but mighty group of volunteers that support the residents of this area, either through actual projects or through financial support.”

Members of the Lions Clubs across the world believe in changing lives by serving the needs of local communities. In all, more than 1.4 million Lions Club members internationally are responding to difficult local and global challenges with kindness and caring. 

The Raymond Lions Club was formed in 1995 and is an active group of service minded men and women who want to make Raymond a better place to live by serving the community in a variety of ways. It is a part of the world's largest, and most active service club organization, Lions Club International.

Along with other Lions Club members worldwide, the Raymond Lions Club works with their fellow Lions in more than 170 countries and geographical areas to seek out and help the needy in their own communities, their country, and the world.

The club meets monthly in Raymond and is active in many worthwhile community service projects in the Raymond and Casco areas.

To learn more about the Raymond Lions Club or to join the group, call 207-655-2222. <