Rushmore Lions Club Transforms Disaster Site into Peaceful Nature Park

When a Lions club gets together, problems get smaller. And communities get better. We recently heard about a club that has exemplified these ideals – and sent a film crew to Rapid City, South Dakota to capture their story.

In 1972, Rapid Creek flooded a neighborhood, killing hundreds of people and destroying more than 1,300 homes. The land remained vacant for decades, until the Rushmore Lions Club turned it into a nature park – and a memorial to those who lost their lives.

At the edge of Rapid Creek, the Lions Nature Park is now a place where people can enjoy the great outdoors. And the community was thrilled to see the land transformed. Rapid City Mayor Alan Hanks told our film crew, “It uses a part of our community where we typically didn’t have a use for it. This is a wonderful addition to our community. And we’re so thankful to the Rushmore Lions Club.”