A Roaring Success: The Eden Prairie Lions and Lioness clubs donate eight audiometers to support student health

One bright morning in September, members of the Eden Prairie Lions and Lioness clubs gathered in the Eden Prairie Schools Administrative Services Center to meet with district staff about their most recent donation — one that was already supporting student health. Recently, the local service organizations had donated seven brand new audiometers to Eden Prairie Schools to be used for districtwide and site-specific hearing screenings. Audiometers, which measure hearing sensitivity, are critical in early identification of hearing issues — and, therefore, in making sure all students remain successful in the classroom. They often cost several thousand dollars each.

“Public health is all about tying together resources to aid and support keeping a child in school.”  That’s how Lauren Puchtel, Eden Prairie Schools’ public health coordinator, explains much of the work she does each day. From her perspective, the biggest service she and other health services staff can provide to families is building partnerships. For example: A teacher, who may notice a hearing concern, partners with a school nurse to share observations. A nurse, who may use an audiometer to screen a student for hearing issues, then partners with families to offer suggestions for further follow up with medical professionals. Each of these steps represents a crucial connection aimed at ensuring students can succeed in school.

In the 1980s, the Eden Prairie Lions Club donated several audiometers to the district. Since then, the equipment had been repaired and refurbished as needed — but in the past few months, it became clear that new devices were required. Audiometers provide an “accurate, consistent way to measure if there is something that we can fix or support,” Puchtel explained, and having modern equipment that worked was essential. The Lions, she said, were ready to help once again.

At first, the Lions Foundation donated one new audiometer and the Lioness Club another. Then Gary Watkins, the Vice President of the Lions, asked Puchtel directly how many devices were really needed. It turned out to be another five audiometers. The Lions didn’t hesitate.

“It’s supporting the community,” Watkins said. “There are six tenets of the Lions… but community is the big one.”

Watkins, who has been a member of the Lions Club for more than 20 years, is also the Major Gifts Chairman, helping to make decisions about how donations are allocated. Since 2019, the Lions have donated an average of nearly $52,000 each year, most of which goes to local organizations. That includes scholarships for Eden Prairie High School students and, this year, the new audiometers helping students districtwide. Since the original donation of seven devices, an eighth has been donated by the Lioness Club as well.

“I’m very happy because it affected so many people,” Gay Ludvig, the Lioness president, said of the new equipment donation. Serving is the club’s mission, she explained. “We want to help as many groups as we can.” As a former EPHS counselor of nearly 30 years, Ludvig was happy to see the audiometers find a new home at the district from which her children graduated and that  her grandchildren now attend.

Ultimately, the generous donation will go a long way toward supporting students, their health and their success in the classroom.

To learn more about how you can get involved with the Lions and Lioness Clubs, visit https://e-clubhouse.org/sites/eden_prairie/.