Owego Lions Club celebrates 65th anniversary

Owego Lions Club celebrates 65th anniversaryOn the left, Owego Lions Club President, Carla Eiklor, and on right, Dr. Ed Cordes, past Lions Clubs International director, presented a “Presidential Certificate of Appreciation” to Candor resident Gil Henry for his outstanding service to the community. Henry has been a Lion for 47 years. The Owego Lions Club celebrated their 65th anniversary on April 8. (Photos by JoAnn R. Walter)
Owego Lions Club celebrates 65th anniversary

On the left, Owego Lions Club President, Carla Eiklor, and on right, Dr. Ed Cordes, past Lions Clubs International director, presented a “Presidential Certificate of Appreciation” to Owego resident Ted Andrews for his outstanding service to the community. Andrews has been a Lion for 62 years. The Owego Lions Club celebrated their 65th anniversary on April 8.

More than 60 Lions Club members and guests from Owego and other Tioga County chapters gathered at the Owego VFW on April 8 for dinner and an award ceremony in celebration of the Owego Lions Club 65th anniversary. This year marks the centennial celebration of Lions Clubs International (LCI), a service organization founded in 1917.

According to the web site, lionsclub.org, LCI is the world’s largest service club organization and is comprised of 46,000 clubs and 1.4 million members worldwide. Lions Club programs encompass multiple service categories such as sight, hearing and speech conservation, youth outreach, international relations, environmental issues and diabetes awareness, among others. All funds raised by Lions Clubs are used for charitable purposes.

LCI’s worldwide efforts include projects designed to prevent blindness, restore eyesight and improve eye health and care, well known as one of their defining causes. At the Owego event, Lion Donna Henry read an excerpt of a speech delivered by Helen Keller at the 1925 Lions Club international convention. It was Keller, an ambassador of the newly formed American Foundation for the Blind, who encouraged LCI to become the “Knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.”

Guest speaker Dr. Ed Cordes of Corning, N.Y., and past LCI director, addressed the Owego group and commented, “You should be extremely proud. Sixty-five years is a tremendous accomplishment,” adding, “65 years is truly a legacy.”

Cordes continued, “Owego Lions are made up of members who are MAD,” an acronym he explained means, “Making A Difference.” Cordes went on to say that everyone attending the anniversary event has made a significant difference in Owego and other Tioga County communities.

Cordes projected that the next century of service should evolve around rededicating innovative undertakings such as diabetes awareness, hunger, vision programs, pediatric cancer and the environment, just to name a few.

Owego Lions Club president, Carla Eiklor, along with Cordes, presented “Presidential Certificates of Appreciation” awards to two Tioga County LCI members in honor of their outstanding service to the community. The presidential certificates are considered the fourth highest award within LCI.

One award recipient, life-long Owego resident Ted Andrews, has been a Lion for 62 years. The second award recipient, Gil Henry of Candor, has been a Lion for 47 years. Henry joined the Owego club in 1970 because, at the time, there was not a separate Spencer-Candor club.

Don Castellucci, Town of Owego supervisor and also a Lion member, delivered two proclamations during the event, one from New York State Assemblyman Christopher Friend and another from New York State Senator Fred Akshar. Castellucci also announced that Saturday, April 8, 2017, was declared “Owego Lions Day” in the Town of Owego. 

The Owego Lions Club meets on the second Thursday of each month at the Countryside Community Center and also holds a dinner meeting at Owego’s Parkview on the fourth Thursday of each month.  

For more information, contact Lion Conrad Metcalf at (607) 223-4200 or view the district website at http://20e2lions.com

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