Lord Baltimore Lions celebrate 75 years of service
The Lord Baltimore Lions celebrated their 75th anniversary year of service with a dinner and ceremony Sept. 30 at the Cripple Creek Golf and Country Club in Dagsboro.
Lions representing other clubs in Delaware District 22D were also joined by lions from Maryland to pay tribute and honor the Lord Baltimore Lions Club.
Chartered in January 1946, the Lord Baltimore Lions Club was sponsored by the Millsboro Lions Club. It was was the 12th Lions Club chartered in Delaware at the time.
The original club membership included 30 gentlemen, and the meetings from 1946 to 1967 were held at the Lord Baltimore School. Today in its 75th year, the Lord Baltimore Lions Club membership has grown to 63 members including men and women who dedicate their time in support of citizens of all ages in the communities of Bethany Beach, Ocean View, Millville, Frankford, Clarksville and Dagsboro.
Lion President Karl Gude hosted the evening of celebration and recounted special highlights of club services in his 29 years of membership. The longest-serving member with 57 years, Lion Ken Crooks spoke about knowing many of the original club members of 1946, and he shared his memories of earlier club years.
Lions Club International Past Director Richard Liebno traveled from Maryland to commend the Lord Baltimore Lions for such a long-standing commitment to community service.
Other speakers included District 22D Gov. David Mitchell, who offered congratulations on this significant achievement and commitment to Lion service. District 22D Vice Gov. Daniel Elkins personally thanked the club for a special donation of Lions vests for the members of his Bellefonte Lions in 2018 as they began their first year of operations.
The guest speaker was Charlie Paparella, host of the “Travels with Charlie” feature seen on WBOC-TV. Paparella provided interesting stories and inspirational comments, told a few jokes and sang songs that were memorable and engaging for the Lions and guests.
The Lord Baltimore Lions Club is part of Lions Club International, the largest international service organization in the world, which includes 1.4 million members in more than 48,000 clubs serving in over 200 countries worldwide. The global causes for lions include vision, diabetes awareness, combatting hunger, protecting the environment, supporting youth and fighting childhood cancer. On the local level, Lord Baltimore Lions actively support causes that directly impact the lives of area citizens in need.
To learn more, go to lordbaltimorelionsclub.com or call Lion Secretary Janet at 302-537-5175.
