Lions Club celebrates 50th anniversary
Chris Larsen presented letter of appreciation
OTHELLO — The Othello Lions celebrated 50 years of community service with dinner and conversation with former international director Burrell Hardan Oct. 29.
His speech touched upon subjects dear to Lions Club members. Hardan talked of enjoyment stemming from community service projects, affecting young peoples' lives and meeting new friends through club recruitment. Praising the efforts of Othello's members, Hardan presented a few gifts and a letter of appreciation to Chris Larsen.
Larsen was recognized for years of service to the Othello Lions Club, working on numerous projects. He said his favorite was adding a wheelchair ramp to a young boy's home.
"Helping other people, that's our motto," said Larsen.
Begun in 1955, the Othello Lions Club is a service organization whose members have spent endless hours working on a variety of projects, from building Lions Park in 1967 to purchasing a guide dog for Ralph Soberg in 1968 to building the county fair booth in 1984 to repairing the Othello food bank building in 1994.
"We just don't throw money at things, we are out there doing things," said Othello Lions Club vice-president Bob Fuller. "We are very hands on … look for more to come."
The breadth of the projects accomplished in Othello was noticed by Hardan and chapters around the Pacific Northwest, even France. Letters were read from Lions Clubs and many groups were represented during the evening. Members from Leavenworth and Wenatchee to Bellingham and Quincy attended in honor of Othello's accomplishments. Moses Lake members in attendance showed pride in the chapter they sponsored 50 years ago.
"I've read what the Othello Lions Club has done and no community can do what you've done without dedicated people like you," said Hardan. "I looked over the projects and they're phenomenal."
Many projects, from hearing and vision screening to mentor programs, are aimed towards helping area youth.
"If it hadn't been for Lions Club, I'd still be in jail," Hardan said. "They saved me."
He said youth programs help direct energy into positive venues and better purposes.
With roughly 450,000 members in Canada and the U.S. and 1.4 million around the globe, the Lions Club has a positive impact on everyone, said Hardan. The United Nations recently recognized the group as beneficial to world peace due to the international efforts of communications and service, he said. In a Chicago media group survey, the Lions Club symbol ranks third in worldwide recognition behind Coca-Cola and Red Cross.
Hardan said for the organization to continue growing and helping more people, it takes members finding more people interested in taking part.
"It's the biggest responsibility we have," said Hardan. "It's also the easiest thing in the world to do."
Mentoring new members and helping them feel wanted and useful is crucial to bringing new members to the Lions Club, he said.
More people means more projects accomplished. Hardan believes the Lions Club can do even more for the world and each chapter's home community. It's a sentiment echoed by Larsen and Fuller.
Fund-raising for the many Lions Club projects never ends. Members are already buying tickets for a ship cruise to Alaska in 2006, said Hardan. He noted the more than $3,700 generated by annual Othello crab feeds. The money the club raises is used for everything from upgrading parks to serving coffee at rest stop so drivers may continue safely.
Lions Club is a community organization, said Fuller. Members find the rewards of their hard work and fund-raising in helping others. Another reward of pitching in and being a member is the friendships created. Fuller said building those bonds is one of his favorite parts of being a Lion, and he looks forward to standing side-by-side with his friends while working towards another worthwhile endeavor.