Little Beaver Lions Club—60+ Years*

In the Spring of 2007 the Little Beaver Lions Club celebrated its 60^th anniversary. The Club has gone from a newly formed, rural experiment to one of the top clubs in Pennsylvania.

The Little Beaver Lions Club was organized during the Spring of 1947 under the sponsorship of the New Castle Lions Club.  The first King Lion was Albert W. Bauman, Jr. who had previously been a New Castle Lion.  A charter was issued by Lions International and a charter night was held in May 1947.  The first meeting on record was held on March 12, 1947 at the Darlington Community Building.  There were 50 charter members.  The name "Little Beaver" was chosen because the Little Beaver Creek passes through the three communities that provided the membership of the new club, namely Darlington, Enon Valley and New Galilee.

Early projects of the club were for the benefit of the local communities and included safety signs for the schools, outfits for safety patrols that were organized to ride the school buses, food boxes for the needy and a children's Christmas party - all in the Fall and Winter of 1947.  Other projects in the early years of the club included Easter egg hunts, purchase of equipment for the local fire departments, sponsorship of a midget football team, monetary assistance to burnout victims, holding of after prom parties at Northwestern High School for many years, and purchase of eyeglasses for those who could not afford to buy them.  The club's first contribution to the Beaver County Lighthouse was made in December 1948.  This and many of the other early projects are still on-going after nearly 60 years.

One project that is well remembered by the remaining charter members was the successful fight for a flashing signal at the State Route 351 crossing in New Galilee that was led by the club in 1948 and 1949.  In addition to a letter writing campaign, club members worked in shifts around the clock for three days to log the number of cars and trains that used the crossing.

Another memorable project was assisting the victims of a flood on Little Beaver Creek at Darlington Lake in 1954 and support of the subsequent campaign to get flood control measures installed that have minimized the damage from later floods.

In 1953, the club began a search for a doctor to locate in the area.  This culminated in the club's assisting Dr. Nelson Kennedy to set up an office in Darlington Township in 1955.

In 1961, the first picnic for the clients of the Lighthouse of the Blind was held at Darlington Lake.  This event has been held in August every year since.  Also during the 1960's and the early 1970's, Little Beaver began contributing to many of the organizations and causes that are now part of the District Governor's list of projects.

During the 1970's, the club held several large garage sales and began selling giant coloring books.  A community blood bank was started in 1972 and was run by the club until the late 1980's. 

On the fundraising side of the ledger, Little Beaver's first project was selling refreshments at the home games of the Darlington Polo Club, a project that is still on-going.  In 1948 they served food out of a food booth.  In these early days the work was shared with the ladies of the polo club and the profits were shared with the polo club.  The records of the club do not show exactly when the project began but they do show that a new building was started in June 1947.  Part of the floor of that building remains at the site of the current polo stand that was constructed in 1986. Other early fundraisers were a donkey basketball game, minstrel and variety show, suit raffles, broom sales and light bulb sales.  An annual fruitcake sale was first held in 1957 and continued through 1994 and the first Horse Show was held in September 1961. 

In 1980, the first annual minstrel show put on by the East Palestine Eagles was held.  This project continued through 1995.  Then in 1990 the club took on a project to serve the food and man the game booths at a picnic at the Medical Center.  This project evolved into the collection of entry fees at the annual Beaver County Air Show. The late Lion Bob Lackner (1910-1995) devoted his life to promoting his community and volunteering time and services to the less fortunate. Known locally as “Mr. Lions Club,” his club activity file is more than ten pages long. He held every club office and chaired a dozen committees during his 22 years as a member. Lackner recruited 25 people into his club.

A community event was long the dream of Lion Lackner. His untiring efforts in both the Little Beaver Lions and the Little Beaver Historical Society prompted the Little Beaver Lions Club to begin an annual memorial polo match in Lion Lackner’s honor. In 2000, this was expanded to become the Darlington Days weekend, celebrating the community which he worked tirelessly to improve.

This 3-day weekend event in June now includes a parade through town, a large arts and craft show, a community dance, a fireworks display, a “Farm Olympics,” antique farm machinery, garden tractor pulls competition, a classic car cruise open houses and bake sales by the town’s two museums and five churches, a community-wide giant yard sale and a number of other events.

The list of annual projects has steadily grown. The annual Mother’s Day Rose Sale has become the Club’s largest fundraiser, selling about 2700 dozen roses and raising over $10,000. Other annual fundraisers include the Golf Outing, the PAHA Horse Show, White Cane Safety Days, the Wine Tasting Dinner, the Night-At-The-Races and our broom sales.

About $20,000 each year–and numerous service hours--are donated to serving their communities. In addition to building wheelchair ramps, giving Christmas food baskets to needy families, providing eye glasses and hearing aids, sponsoring a yearly fishing derby, honoring Blackhawk High School Students of the Month, donating to local volunteer fire departments and giving immediate financial aid to house fire victims, they strongly support the PA Beacon Lodge Camp for the Blind. From sponsoring campers to setting the “Beacon Lodge Challenge,” from promoting the “Great Duck Race” to sending a dozen Lions to the Beacon Lodge Work Weekend, SERVING Beacon Lodge is a priority project. They also support the activities of the PA Lions Eye Research Foundation and the PA Lions Hearing Research Foundation, being the largest contributor of the 800 Lions clubs in Pennsylvania. They also contribute to the PA Lions Diabetes Research Foundation, Western PA Lions Hearing Foundation, Lions Clubs International Foundation, PA Lions State Foundation, Lions Youth Outreach Program, Beaver County Times Give-A-Christmas, Beaver County YMCA, McGuire Home, Big Brother/Big Sisters, Leader Dogs, Beaver County Association of the Blind and the Beaver County Lighthouse.

They also help victims of natural disasters. During the hurricane-induced flooding of 2005, the Little Beaver Lions served as administrators of over $17,000 in grants to community flood victims from the Lions Clubs International Foundation.

To further show their commitment to the Lions Motto of “WE SERVE,” in January 2006 they elected to become a “Model Club” for the world-wide $200 million effort by Lions Clubs International Foundation’s Campaign SightFirst II to fight preventable blindness.  There are only five Lions clubs in Pennsylvania and 30 clubs in the entire United States that have committed to being a “Model Club” for this worthy effort. To honor their “Model Club” commitment the Little Beaver Lions donated over $30,000 through personal contributions and special club fundraisers—an average pledge of over $592 for each member.

In February 2007 the Club “adopted” the Northwestern Primary School of the Blackhawk School District. “Adopting” means providing resources to help students through service projects approved by the school administration. Ten service projects were identified for the needs of expanded vision screening, Grandparents Day, Student of the Month, poster contest, eye glasses, clothing, Christmas gifts and food for needy families, reading mentoring and unidentified needs.

The Melvin Jones Fellowship was created in 1973 and is named in honor of the founder of Lions Clubs International, Melvin Jones. The fellowship was established as Lions Clubs International Foundation’s highest form of recognition to acknowledge an individual’s dedication to humanitarian service.  When an individual, club or district donates $1,000 to LCIF for a Melvin Jones Fellowship, an inscribed plaque and lapel pin are presented to the specified individual. Twenty-one Little Beaver Lions have received this recognition:

Melvin Jones Fellowship Recipients—Little Beaver Lions Club

  *Charter Member of Little Beaver Lions Club

**District 14-N Award, Progressive Award

The “Pennsylvania Fellows Award” is available from the Lions of Pennsylvania Foundation to any Lion, Lioness, Leo or friend of Lionism.  A Club or District may honor an outstanding individual who has performed above and beyond the cause of Lionism by securing an award.  William Stitt and Brian McCarl are recipients of this award.

The District 14-N Honor Roll of Lionism is a prestigious honor awarded to Lions who have actively served Lions and their community.  To be nominated to the Honor Roll of Lionism, the Lion must have a minimum of 20 years in Lionism.  The Little Beaver Lions have two members who have been received this honor: William Laughner and Benjamin Thayer.  

As of January 2009, fifty-nine Lions have led the Little Beaver Lions Club:

 Club Presidents

Little Beaver Lions Club leadership extends to District 14-N and Multiple District levels:

Past Council Chair Brian McCarl

District 14-N Vice District Governor—1999-2000

District 14-N District Governor—2000-2001

State Council Chair—2001-2002

State Council Advisor—2002-2003

Multiple District 14 Long-Range Planning Committee--2002-2007

Ÿ         Chair—2006-2007

Vice Chair PA Lions Sight Conservation & Eye Research Foundation (PLSCERF)—’03-‘08

Chair PLSCERF—2008-

District 14-N Fundraiser Chair

Chair PA Lions 2011 State Convention

Lion Bill Laughner

Beacon Lodge Board Member—1994-2008

Beacon Lodge District Coordinator—2000-

Beacon Lodge Vice President—2005-

Beacon Lodge Property Chair—2005-

District 14-N President of Honor Role of Lionism

District 14-N Fundraiser Co-Chair

Lion Alan Ferguson

District 14-N Liaison to Beacon Lodge Camp—2004-

District 14-N Board Member for PA Lions Hearing Research Foundation—2001-2002

District 14-N MERLOWA-Retention Chair—2002-2003

Lion Mark Carter

District 14-N Newsletter Co-Editor—2008-

Recipient of the prestigious District 14-N “Outstanding Club Award,” the Little Beaver Lions Club will continue its long history of serving their communities.

*This history was written through the contributions of Lions Ben Thayer, John Gishbaugher and Mark Carter.                                                                                                                           (9988010954321)