One of the silent benefits of living in a town like Orangeville is the presence of several service clubs that are committed to making Orangeville, simply put, a better place to live. These organizations include, but are not limited to, the Orangeville Lions, the Rotary Club of Orangeville, the Kin Club of Orangeville, the IODE and the Royal Canadian Legion.

The Orangeville Lions Club was founded on April 12, 1949. Originally there were twenty members that began the club in 1950 by instituting a system of crossing guards for local schools. Other contributions included the bussing of Orangeville youth to the Fergus swimming pool when the club members constructed Orangeville’s first outdoor community swimming pool in 1953. The club has evolved through the years with their annual village fair which began in 1950, St. Patrick’s Day Dances, the Harvest Moon Ball and 4H banquets. The Lions have a long list of assets it has contribute to the Town of Orangeville. These assets include Murray’s Mountain, financial assistance for the building of Tony Rose Memorial Arena. More recently the Lion’s built Orangeville’s first BMX park by Alder Street Rec Centre. More recently the Orangeville Lions were proud to buid the community Sports Pad located in the west end of town. The Lions also support multiple other organizations.

The Rotary Club of Orangeville was officially launched in 1937. Rotarians include men and women from various backgrounds including business people, local farmers, teachers, police officers and many more. All are welcome to participate in the wonderful organization. The Rotary Club of Orangeville is united in their commitment to serve the local community. The Rotary Club has been responsible for the development of Rotary Park, Orangeville’s first skateboard park, assisting in the fund raising at our local hospital as well as being involved with a wide range of other community organizations. The annual Ribfest is always a community favorite. The Rotary Club has been involved in the development of the splash pad park at Fendley Park. The Rotary Club is also involved in the creation of the north trail at Island Lake.

The Kin Club of Orangeville is a local service club serving the community to help make Orangeville and surrounding community a better place. Their contributions to the community include the Orangeville Santa Claus Parade, an annual Christmas tree sale, their famous Charity Road Toll to support cystic fibrosis and other local charities and non-profit groups, Orangville’s community Christmas social and the Harvest Ball for the Food Bank.

Another wonderful service club is the IODE. IODE stands for the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire. The IODE was founded in Montreal in the early 1900’s. IODE is a charitable organization that is run by women within the community. There are two chapters of the IODE in Orangeville, the Lord Dufferin IODE and the IODE Yellow Briar Orangeville Chapter. The IODE started up the Orangeville Lord Dufferin Chapter 1907. It’s a truly remarkable organization with over 100 years of help people within the community and friendship amongst members and the community. IODE Yellow Briar Orangeville Chapter was established in 1985. They are coming up on their 35th anniversary. The mission of IODE is to improve the quality of life for children, youth and those in need, through educational, social service, and citizenship programs.

Orangeville’s also proudly supports the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 233. Many people identify the Royal Canadian Legion with the sale of poppies to commemorate Remembrance Day. The Royal Canadian Legion was established to support veterans in the community but today there is no requirement to have a family link to a veteran in order to become a member of the Royal Canadian Legion. The Royal Canadian Legion continues to contribute to the well-being of our communities by sponsoring numerous community programs. The Legion is the largest service-oriented organization in Ontario.