Success Story: Adair Lions Club
A special tradition of giving
They're turning Terri Lynn premium nuts and confections into books for every elementary student in town!
Post Date: Nov 15 2023
The Lions Club in Adair, Iowa, does something really special for their community around the holidays — they turn Terri Lynn premium nuts and confections into books for every elementary student in town!
It’s a special tradition that the Adair Lions Club says would have been hard (or impossible!) to continue during Covid, had it not been for Terri Lynn’s Fundraising Programs. Today, their creativity with promoting and selling Terri Lynn’s premium fundraising products around the holidays and throughout the year has led to even greater impact. In addition to a holiday book drive, they’re now able to support the local food pantry and summertime community projects with their profits.
Join us in celebrating the incredible work of the Adair Lions Club, and learn more about their sweet success with Terri Lynn Fundraising!
“I want to express my personal thanks to Terri Lynn. Selling your delicious products helped my home club to survive during the dark days of Covid. Terri Lynn made this possible! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!”
Making a Shift During the Pandemic
Ardie Klemish, a member of the Adair Lions Club for 25 years, says the club had to make an important pivot in fall 2020.
“Virtually all of my club’s fundraising activities were based on serving food in person, at the city park during the summer for all the Little League games, and at a couple of large festivals in our town,” says Ardie. “Those fundraisers stopped during Covid—but our club started selling Terri Lynn nuts.”
Ardie went on to say that during that first year, the fundraising numbers were lower than usual, but still enough to support a favorite community pastime — donating books to local students during the holiday season. The teachers coordinated with parents to find out which book each child wanted, and then the parents arranged a drive-thru outside the school building to pick up their child’s book right before Christmas. Ardie says the thank you letters from students and parents expressing gratitude for continuing the loving tradition were enough to make them cry.
“The people we serve in our little town — you saved our club and helped all those people because we were still able to serve them.”
Fundraising is More Fun with Partners
Since that first year fundraising with Terri Lynn premium nuts, snacks and confections, the club has continued raising money via Terri Lynn’s Case Program at local events and markets.
Ardie says they bring along Terri Lynn fundraising nuts and treats to sell at the local farmers markets in the summer months, and keep the products (especially chocolate) cool by storing the bags in the same insulated shipping containers that the products arrive in.
“We store the products in a cool place at home and sell them at the markets in the evenings to help keep chocolates from melting,” says Ardie. “We like to show people how large the one-pound product bags are in-person. And once someone purchases from us, it’s no problem to get new customers because they always come back and bring someone new with them.”
The Adair Lions Club also sets up a table at the annual Festival of Trees during the first weekend in December. They’ve attended the event for 27 years, and brought Terri Lynn fundraising products to sell during the last four.
“We partner with the Federated Women’s Club,” says Ardie. “People can come view beautiful trees at the festival and purchase gifts for the holidays from us at the same time. We also serve hot meals and sandwiches that the club makes, and Santa comes in-person.”
Adair Lions Club also takes Terri Lynn fundraising products along to district conventions, where Ardie says people are very familiar with the product and it’s an “easy sell” to raise additional funds.
More Sales Means More Support
Because of the volume the Adair Lions Club is now selling, Ardie shares that their community support is able to expand, too. In addition to Christmas books, the Adair Lions Club is donating to the local food pantry, as well as the Boys and Girls Club.
“It’s the only Boys and Girls club between the capital and Nebraska border, and it’s not unusual for them to have 70 to 80 kids in the summer,” says Ardie. “We can purchase food to serve children breakfast and lunch. They’re in the process of building a gym building and we were able to help them do that, too.”
A Personal Connection
For Ardie, selling Terri Lynn fundraising products means carrying on a tradition started by her father many years ago.
“I first got acquainted with Terri Lynn when my father was an American Legion post commander. They always ordered Terri Lynn products to raise money during the Christmas season. Since he was one of the people who coordinated the fundraiser, we always looked forward to having one or two bags at Christmas. Now, I think of my dad when we’re selling Terri Lynn fundraising products at the Farmers Market.”
Ardie says her favorite all-time product is a tie between the Giant Cashews and the Deluxe Mix. Very close after that, she says, is the Milk Chocolate Pecan Clusters.
Spreading the Word
To reach their captive audience, Adair Lions Club advertises their fundraising events through local newspaper ads and posts on social media via Facebook. Ardie says the ads and posts remind the community that they can come support local organization by purchasing delicious Terri Lynn premium nuts, snacks and confections.
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Ready to Host Your Own Terri Lynn Fundraiser?
Whether you’re new to fundraising, or looking for another program to help you meet and exceed your goals like Adair Lions Club, our Terri Lynn team of fundraising experts are here to help with a free consultation. Browse our online catalog and promotional materials, and contact us today to start planning your next fundraiser!