This past July I had the great pleasure to become a member of the Lions Club International.I joined the Moundsville, West Virginia club.My grandfather had previously been a member of the Lions and I had previously known many others who were members, but I really did not know much about the club beyond generally knowing about its work with vision issues.I was asked to join by a man that I respect very much and whom I have gotten to know since I moved to the Northern Panhandle, Gary Rider.I met Gary through church and because his family has been friends with my in-laws for many years.Gary was a teacher in Marshall County prior to his well deserved retirement and has long been active in community involvement clubs and events.Gary encouraged me to take a look at the club and see if I liked what I saw.I wanted to become more active and meet more people in the community so I attended several meetings as guest before formally joining.
Lion's Club International is the largest service club organization in the world with over 1.35 million members in over 46,000 clubs worldwide.Men and women in over 200 countries are members.The Club started back in 1917 by Chicago businessman Melvin Jones.The idea was to create a group that would work to help improve the community.By the 1920s the club had already expanded beyond the United States to Canada and Mexico.Many people probably are aware, or familiar, with some of the work that the Lions Club does with eye sight.The dedication to the vision cause began in 1925 when Helen Keller addressed the Lions Club International Convention and challenged the club to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness."From that date on, vision causes have been a driving force for the Lions.The Lions have been active in many other causes too.The Lions Club Foundation has been active in obtaining and utilizing over $800 million in grants over the years to help meet the needs of communities her in the US and throughout the world.The Lions are also very active in youth programs including Leo Clubs.Leo Clubs allow young people to develop into young leaders and become active in their communities through service opportunities.The Lions Club is active in establishing scholarships for youth and many other events.Much more information about the Lions is available by going to www.lionsclub.org or www.wvlions.org.
Locally, there are several events upcoming which will help the Lions with their service.On Monday, September 1, 2014 (rain date September 7) there will be the annual Dan Dague Memorial Car & Bike Show for Sight.The event, which raises significant funds for the WV Lions Sight Foundation, will be located at The Highlands.On Saturday, September 20, 2014 the "Moundsville Zombie Prison Break 5K Run/Walk" will be held.The 5K run/walk is a new event being operated and supported by the Moundsville Lions Club and will go along with the Annual Moundsville Zombie walk which has become a popular event over the last few years in Marshall County.
At the Lions Club you will find a diverse group of business leaders, church leaders, educators and neighbors who all have the common goal of improving their community and having a little fun at the same time.I would encourage anyone who is interested to look into joining a local club.
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