By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA–The Helena High School science department will soon be able to purchase new lab equipment and more thanks to a donation from the Helena Lions Club on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

The Helena Lions Club presented a check for $1,000 to the science department to use at their discretion including the purchase of new equipment such as Chromebooks and more lab technology.

“We just want to support the community and we’re just glad to hopefully make a difference here at the school,” said Helena Lion Treasurer Jerran Hill. “We give 100 percent of our donations out so there’s no overhead or salary. We’re all volunteer so everything we bring in we give out.”

Helena High School Principal April Brand was appreciative of the donation and said it will make a big difference when it comes to purchasing bigger items and technology that tends to be more costly.

“We were approached about the Lions Club desire to support the school, and where was an area that we really saw a great need,” said Brand. “A great need was evident in our science labs because we had a big, beautiful building with state-of-the-art lab rooms but no equipment. These donations have been invaluable to our ability to make bigger purchases of equipment that is often times more expensive. It has been a tremendous help and it benefits our kids greatly.”

The Helena Lions Club was established in August 2014 and since its inception, the club has vowed to service the community by volunteering at numerous events in Helena and sacrificing time and effort.

“The Lions motto is ‘we serve,’” said Helena Lions Club President Rich Engates. “We volunteer and we do things that people don’t know about. We move the picnic tables for First Friday. We work Buck Creek Festival and a lot of our members do things behind the scenes and donate their time.”

Helena High School Science Department Chair DeLeisa Lowery said the department is looking to purchase a Chromebook cart complete with probeware using the donation.

The Helena Lions Club meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Helena Senior Center.

For more information on the Helena Lions Club, visit E-clubhouse.org/sites/helena_al/.