By Ernie Smothers
Smothers @mckenziebanner.com |
Bruceton (April 17) - Each month, on every second and
fourth Thursday at 6:30 p.m., members of the Bruceton Lions
Club gather for a meeting at the Iron Kettle restaurant in
Hollow Rock. Quite often, some club members arrive before
meeting time to chat about the latest goings on. Others, no
doubt, gather for the sole purpose of savoring a glorious
whiff of club cook Dick Bayless' perfection-seared steaks
wafting through the air. A tight-knit group, many of the
club members have been friends for decades.
Founded in 1933, eight years after the birth of the town,
the Lions Club has become a staple of the Bruceton
community. Actively participating in numerous community
celebrations and observances, the club sponsors and/or
partakes in events such as: Bruceton Easter Egg Hunt,
Bruceton in May, Hollow Rock Heritage Festival, and the
town's annual Christmas Parade.
Though considerably smaller in membership than fellow Lions
Clubs in McKenzie and Huntingdon, the 26-member group
proudly strives to embrace and uphold the Lions' unified
mission mantra: "We serve."
Through the years, the Bruceton Lions Club has committed
time and resources to the betterment of the community. Lion
Buddy Smothers recounted that the club had purchased the
first lighting system for the Hollow Rock-Bruceton high
school football field. Lion Ernest Thorne noted that the
club had also contributed to the construction of the
school's old cafeteria as well as the old city park.
Glory Unfurled
Quite noticeable to motorists traveling through Bruceton and
Hollow Rock is the club's American flag display program. The
brainchild of club member and former president "Pops"
Seagraves, it allows area business owners and citizens to
rent flags from the club to be displayed alongside Highway
70 during federal holidays and special events.
Awe inspiring, the sheer magnitude of so many American flags
waving proudly in the breeze might inspire passers-by to
pause and reflect on the blessings imbued upon those who
call this nation home. One can only imagine the glorious
painting Norman Rockwell may have created had he viewed such
an impassioned, patriotic small town scene.
A Giving Heart
Bruceton Lions Club, like its fellow clubs, actively
participates in fund raising activities for the purpose of
making available visits by mobilized sight and hearing
screening vans to area schools and nursing homes. Eye
examinations and eyeglass purchasing for children and
financially challenged individuals is a paramount concern
organization wide. A Lion funded project, Sight-First,
provides for over 20,000 vision restoring corneal implants
per year. The club is also involved with providing
vocational training to sight impaired individuals for the
purpose of helping them obtain gainful employment.
By far, the largest financial initiative undertaken by the
club is funding, assembly, and distribution of approximately
50 food baskets each Christmas to needy and deserving
families. Each basket is loaded with a large amount of food
items including frozen chicken, canned vegetables, fruit,
and candy. Toys are often placed in some baskets earmarked
for delivery to homes with children. Other clubs in the
Carroll County district 12L region also perform this noble
and charitable activity. Proceeds received from Lion
sponsored events and fund-raising initiatives such as flag
rental, Halloween candy sales, mop and broom purchases, food
sales and various other endeavors aid in the finance of the
Christmas basket program. That's why community involvement
in fund raising initiatives is so preciously important.
The Father of the Lions Club
Melvin Jones was born on January 13, 1879, in Fort
Thomas, Arizona. A major influence, Jones' father, a United
States Army captain, was also commander of the town's Boy
Scout troop.
Moving east with his family to Illinois following his
father's military re-assignment, Jones, then nine years of
age, adjusted to life in the mid-west.
Beginning his professional career, Jones sought employment
with an insurance company located in Chicago. At age 33, he
formed his own insurance agency in 1913.
During that time, he joined a group called the Business
Circle of Chicago, a businessmen's luncheon group. He was
promptly elected as secretary.
Inspired by the ideal that local business clubs should
expand their horizons from purely professional concerns,
Jones championed the cause of community service. The group
agreed, and a dream was born.
Consulting with other like-minded groups around the country,
discussion led to the first organizational meeting of the
new organization on June 17, 1917. The group acquired their
now famous name from one of the invited groups, the
Association of Lions Clubs. Organizing quickly, the Lions
Club held its first national convention in Dallas, Texas, in
October of the same year. A club constitution, by-laws,
objects, and code of ethics were approved. A total of 27
clubs hailing from various areas of America attended the
convention.
Among the objects adopted at the convention was one that
read, "No club shall hold out the financial betterment of
its members as its object." The tenement set the stage for a
remarkably brilliant humanitarian endeavor.
In only three years of existence, the club became
international when a Lions Club organization located in
Detroit, Michigan, chartered the Windsor, Ontario, Lions
Club.
Knights of the Blind
On the evening of June 30, 1925, Helen Keller,
internationally known for her miraculous progression from a
life of total isolation as a deaf and blind person to that
of a vibrant, powerful lecturer for blind advocacy,
addressed the Lions' international convention in Cedar
Point, Iowa.
During her speech, Keller, then 47, from Tuscumbee,
Alabama, challenged the Lions to become "Knights of the
blind in the crusade against darkness."
What follows is an excerpt of her brilliant and galvanizing
speech.
Keller said, "You have heard how through a little word
dropped from the fingers of another, a ray of light from
another soul touched the darkness of my mind and I found
myself, found the world, found God." Concerning the blind,
she stated, "It is caring we want more than money. The gift
without the sympathy and interest of the giver is empty."
Emboldened, she added, "If you care--if you can make the
people of this great country care, the blind will indeed
triumph over blindness." At the conclusion of Keller's
emotionally charged address, the large convention hall
rumbled with thunderous applause.
Instilled with collective resolve, the Lions Club
International immediately focused its entire effort in
providing service to the needs of the blind and visually
impaired.
Fully committed to the cause, Jones abandoned his insurance
business in order to totally devote himself to Lions at the
international headquarters in Chicago.
Renowned as a dynamic leader, Jones' influence attracted an
ever-increasing group of civic minded individuals. As a
result, membership in the Lions Club soared. His personal
mantra, "You can't get very far until you start doing
something for someone else," became a guiding principle for
public-spirited people the world over.
United Nations
The greatest honor bestowed upon Jones occurred in 1945 when
he was chosen to represent the Lions Club International in
San Francisco as a consultant during the organization of the
United Nations.
Due to his loyal service, Jones was conferred the title
secretary general of the Lions Club International for life
in 1950.
Under his tutelage, the club expanded throughout Europe,
Asia, and Africa throughout the 1950s.
Diligent and resourceful, the relentless advocate for the
blind and sight impaired served his beloved organization
until his death on June 1, 1961, at the age of 82. Later
that year, The Lions Club International erected a monument
in Jones' honor in his boyhood town of Fort Thomas, Arizona.
Fight for Sight
Today, the Lions Club International is the largest
community service organization on earth. With nearly 1.35
million members in 197 countries, the club has tackled
problems such as blindness, drug abuse prevention, diabetes
research and treatment and natural disaster relief. As an
integral partner in the global community, Lions have sought
to improve the quality of life in local communities by
building parks, playgrounds, senior citizens programs,
hospitals and water treatment programs to stop the world's
leading cause of preventable blindness, trachoma.
During his May 19, 2005, address to the World Health
Organization's international assembly in Geneva,
Switzerland, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter lauded Lions
Club International for providing 50 million treatments to
prevent river blindness and trachoma in Africa and Latin
America.
The Vision Expands
Lions Club International spearheaded a massive aid campaign
to assist countless villages and communities dotted along
the shores of the Indian Ocean that were devastated by the
horrific December 26, 2004, tsunamis. To date, nine million
dollars has been donated by the Lions Club International to
the restoration effort, with an additional 2.5 million
applied from U.S. club reserves.
The fight against Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
has also become a major concern for the organization. The
deadly outbreak, spreading throughout Africa and developing
nations, has produced a staggering toll of deaths and
suffering worldwide and is fast approaching epidemic
proportions. The Lions Club has expended great wealth and
resources in combating and helping in the fight to eradicate
the dreaded disease.
Focus on the Future
An active partner in youth oriented programs, Lion sponsored
Leo and Life-Quest clubs offer a variety of opportunities
for young people to learn life-enriching skills as well as
provide service to their communities.
Friends and Neighbors
During the course of an average day, chances are you will
speak or do business with one of your town's local Lions
Club members. Many lions work as teachers, auto mechanics,
pharmacists, bankers, factory workers, plumbers, and the
like. They are friends and neighbors, unified by a
civic-minded desire to help people within their community.
That's something to think about the next time you walk by a
Lions Club concession tent during a community gathering. The
money generated by your purchase of a hamburger, balloon or
mop is ultimately used in helping others--certainly not a
bad investment.
To learn more about Lions Club International, its causes, or
club information in your area, go to www.lionsclub.org.
