About Everett Lions Club
Everett, PA
“We Serve”
The Everett Lions Club has served the Everett community and its citizens since 1939 and will continue that goal into the future, remembering the Lions motto, “We Serve.”
We give back to the community in which we live, and also participate in international efforts to aid those in need.
OUR MISSION
Support – Engage – Embrace
MISSION STATEMENT
Everett Lions, part of Lions International, shares the Lions International Mission Statement – to create and foster a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation.
The Everett Lions Club has served the Everett community and its citizens since 1939 and will continue that goal into the future, remembering the Lions motto, “We Serve.”
We give back to the community in which we live, and also participate in international efforts to aid those in need.
The mission of Everett Lions Club is to create and foster a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation.
LIONS INTERNATIONAL PURPOSES:
To create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world
To promote the principles of good government and good citizenship
To take an active interest in the civic, cultural, social, and moral welfare of the community
To unite the clubs in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship, and mutual understanding
To provide a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest, provided however, that partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be debated by club members
To encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works, and private endeavors
To show our faith in the worthiness of our vocation by industrious application to the end that we may merit a reputation for quality of service
To seek success and to demand all fair remuneration or profit as our just due, but to accept no profit or success at the expense of our own self-respect lost because of unfair advantage taken or because of questionable acts on our part
To remember that in building up our business, it is not necessary to tear down another’s, to be loyal to our clients or customers and true to ourselves, whenever a doubt arises as to the right or ethics of our position or action towards others, to resolve such doubt against ourselves
To hold friendship as an end and not a means. To hold that true friendship exists not on account of the service performed by one another, but that true friendship demands nothing, but accepts service in the spirit in which it is given
To always bear in mind our obligations as a citizen to our nation, our state, and our community, as to give them our unswerving loyalty in word, act, and deed. To give them freely of our time, labor, and means
To aid others by giving our sympathy to those in distress, our aid to the weak, and our substance to the needy
To be careful with our criticism and liberal with our praise; to build up and not destroy
WHAT WE DO
Our Achievements
The Everett Lions Club has:
- Contributed over $750,000 to the community
- Raised funds for various community projects through activities such as the pancake and sausage breakfast and a concession stand at the Bedford County Fair
The Everett Lions Club:
- Works with Guardians of the Children on various service projects
- Provides two local high school students, per year, with community service scholarships
- Partners with the Everett Area MS/HS Renaissance Foundation to support school activities
PAST PROJECTS
- 3 Main Goals of Lions International: Sight, Hearing & Diabetes
- Prescription Eyeglasses to community members in need.
- Everett Sportsman’s Club
- Built a new bathhouse
- Downtown Everett
- Painted lamp posts
- Armory
- Donated funding to help purchase land for expansion
- Everett Little League
- Donated funding to purchase new equipment and sponsor team
- AYSO
- Donated funding to organization as a sponsor
- Everett Free Library
- Supported their Halloween and Christmas Parades
- Everett Veterans Cemetery Support
- Yard maintenance around tombstones and surrounding areas
- Everett Indian Seating
- Maintenance to spruce up appearance of area
- Continuing Education
OUR HISTORY
Everett Lions Club
Since 1939, A History of Service, Still Going Strong…
Everett Lions Club has been serving our community since it was originally chartered in 1939. Current members are driven by the same compassion and principles that have made Lions International the largest service organization in the world.
Founded by Melvin Jones
Our origins date back to the summer of 1917. It all began with an energetic insurance salesman named Melvin Jones. At the time, Jones was part of the Business Circle of Chicago, a group of professionals focused on helping members grow their business. However, with the social and economic needs of the times, Jones was looking for ways to become more involved with service to the community.
Our Name
After approaching fellow constituents and other delegates from similar organizations with this concept, they unanimously voted to merge and form a new, stronger club. These independent groups then became one single association, adopting the name LIONS (Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nations Safety) International.
“…I’m finding out that you do not get very far until you start doing things for others…”
– Melvin Jones
Knights of the Blind
In the 1920s, Lions recognized the need to help those with impaired sight and soon began the journey as “Knights of the Blind”. They began creating jobs for those with vision disabilities, organized eye exams for school students and published the first braille magazine for children.
“The main drive of Lions International, which we are a part of, is sight.”
– Don Sylvester
Secretary, Everett Lions Club
Helen Keller’s Plea
In 1925, Helen Keller, both deaf and blind, attended a summit the club held to thank them for their accomplishments but also to implore them to do more.
“That’s when the club began branching out and treating, not only sight all over the world, but here in our area. For example, we support people that need assistance with eyeglasses,” Sylvester added, referencing our local chapter.
Projects
Other projects the Everett Lions Club has participated in have included baling paper and cardboard during World War II. This was believed to be used for paper drop tanks in support of the war effort.
“Moving a bit forward, they donated the money to build the bath houses at the Everett Sportsman’s, I believe, back in the 60’s. That was our next major project . . .” Don continued. “At that time, it was the only place you could swim.”
“In the late 1980’s, we bought a concession trailer . . . and then had to buy a truck to pull it,” Don chuckled, reminiscing about his own personal memories. He went on to share how successful this was as a fundraiser in the days of farm sales. Now, the club runs a concession booth at the Bedford County Fair to raise money for their projects.
Medal of Honor Monument Project
The most recent project is one many will find of great importance. It’s the monument honoring Medal of Honor recipients SGT. Ellis R. Weicht (World War II) and SSGT. Robert W. Hartsock (Vietnam War). The intent of the scaled replica pictured here is to help promote awareness and raise funding for its implementation. When asked about its completion, Don simply smiles and says, “It’s going to happen.”
BECOME A LION
Learn More and Get Involved
We are always looking to add new members and continue the legacy of service to our area. For more information, or if you’d like to support the club, call: (814) 652-5439, or find more information on the Everett Lions Facebook Page.
MEMBER RESOURCES
Forms, guides, presentations, videos, logos and much more
Tools, resources and data for clubs, officers and individual Lions
Club supplies (awards, pins, meeting materials) along with branded apparel and items
Learn more about Lions Clubs:
Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.
RESOURCES
Lions meet the needs of local communities and the world every day because we share a core belief – we serve our community.
Lions have a dynamic history.
Founded in 1917, we are best known for fighting blindness, but we also volunteer for many different kinds of community projects – including caring for the environment, feeding the hungry and aiding seniors and the disabled.
Lions give sight.
By conducting vision screenings, equipping hospitals and clinics, distributing medicine and raising awareness of eye disease, Lions work toward their mission of providing vision for all. We have extended our commitment to sight conservation through countless local efforts and through our international SightFirst Program, which works to eradicate blindness.
Lions serve youth.
Our community projects often support local children and schools through scholarships, recreation and mentoring. Internationally, we offer many programs, including the Peace Poster Contest, Youth Camps and Exchange and Lions Quest.
Our Leo Program provides the youth of the world with an opportunity for personal development through volunteering. There are approximately 144,000 Leos and 5,700 Leo clubs in more than 140 countries worldwide.
Lions award grants.
Since 1968, the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) has awarded more than US$700 million in grants to support Lions humanitarian projects around the world. LCIF was also ranked the number one nongovernmental organization in a 2007 study by The Financial Times.
Lions Club International Foundation
Lions help during disasters.
Together, our Foundation and Lions are helping com munities following natural disasters by providing for immediate needs such as food, water, clothing and medical supplies – and aiding in long-term reconstruction.
Lions are active.
Our motto is “We Serve.” Lions are part of a global service network, doing whatever is necessary to help our local communities.