Members of the Tellico Village Lions Club gathered Jan. 21 at the Yacht Club to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the founding of the club.
The club also honored, as it does each January, the spouses of the members and other residents of the Village who support its various activities throughout the year.
The evening began with dinner followed by a program that recognized the two occasions. King Lion Curt Isakson first recognized the spouses of the members who give of their time to ensure that the two major fundraising events the club conducts — Oktoberfest and the upcoming chili and soup dinner — are successful. The spouses help prepare the food, serve it and help clean up the facility after the events.
Isakson also recognized Debbie Chadwick, who works in the Edward Jones office in the Village. Each month, she sorts and organizes three to six flyers, as many as 20,000 individual pieces of paper, into route bundles for the 25 individual Lions who deliver the flyers.
Isakson then moved to the anniversary celebration. He introduced special guests that included District 12N Governor Lion Ed Gibbons and his wife, Lion Theresa; past international director and guiding Lion for the founding of the club, Bill Watkins and his wife, Lion Nora; former member of the club and past district governor Chuck Bailey and his wife, District 12N Second Vice District Governor, Lion Paulette Bailey; and a charter member of the club, Lion Larry Hawk and his wife, Helen.
Isakson then recognized charter members who are still active in the club, including Joe Klint, Kay Klint, Al Sponholz, Liz Sponholz, Tom Thomas and Howard Higby.
Kay Klint and Al Sponholz were recognized for 15 years of service, while Dennis VanWormer was recognized for 10 years of service.
Isakson also highlighted a number of community accomplishments of the club, which included raising more than $275,000 for various local service organizations, vision testing thousands of children, testing hundreds for glucose levels, helping keep the Village clean by policing the parkway once each month, collecting and sending for recycling thousands of pairs of used eyeglasses, providing free eye examinations and glasses to more than 500 indigent residents of Loudon County and, most recently, in conjunction with the Loudon Lions Club and the Lions Club International Foundation, financing and constructing a Habitat for Humanity house in Hope Haven.
Preparations are underway for the annual chili and soup dinner, which will be held March 3 in the Christian Life Center of the Community Church at Tellico Village.
For more information, visit http://tellicovillage.tnlions.org.
