Troy Lions Club History
The Troy Lions Club was chartered by Lions Club International on March 25, 1942 and held its first meeting on May 13, 1942. There were 22 Charter members inducted that evening, sponsored by the Piqua Lions Club. The Club filed Articles of Incorporation with the State of Ohio and received status as a non-profit corporation in 1950.
The Club held weekly meetings until 1975 when it was changed to twice monthly. Membership dues began at one dollar a year. The Club’s newsletter began in 1942, was called "Jungl-Holl’r" until it changed to its current name of "Lions Roar" in 1947.
The "Lion Tamers" an organization composed of the wives of Lion members was formed in 1948. This group helped the Troy Lions Club with many of its fund raising, charitable and social functions. The group stayed active through the mid 1980’s. Lion Edna Vogler became the first female Troy Lion in 1995.
Our Club sponsored the Fletcher Lions Club, which was chartered on October 22, 1956. We presented the new club with gifts of a gavel and gong. We also sponsored the Newton Leo Club in Pleasant Hill, Ohio. Their Charter Night Celebration was held May 20, 2002.
Our Club has sponsored three District Governors. Troy Lion Richard Clark was District Governor in 1956-57. We hosted the District Convention with 674 people attending, at Hobart Arena that year. Troy Lion Judy Smith served as the District's first female Governor in 2001-02. The Club hosted the District Convention held in Springfield. Troy Lion Jerry Smith served as District Governor in 2003-04 and the club hosted the District Convention in Sidney that year.
The Troy Lions Club is truly part of an International Organization. Many of our members have traveled around the world to attend Lions Conventions. Our club hosted exchange students in 1975 from the Philippines and in 1976 from Japan. We have had many foreign members visit our club including Lions from Pakistan, Bermuda and New Zealand. Beginning in 1995, we annually sponsored student’s entries in the International Peace Poster Contest.
In September 1998 Troy Lion Doctor Dan Lee began the largest service project ever sponsored by the Troy Lions Club. The Russian Orphanage Mission took him and his team to the Phililmonki and Snegiri orphanages in Russia. Children were examined for vision and general health needs. A permanent eyeglass distribution center for Russia was also established. A second trip in September 2001 followed up with more health care services.
Eyesight Conservation has always been the focus of our work. Ever since the first year, Troy Lions have been purchasing eyeglasses and paying for eye exams for local needy individuals. Used eyeglasses are collected and recycled to under developed countries. We also purchased a Timus II vision-testing machine for the Troy School system and a MagniSight Video Magnifier for the public library. We have donated to Pilot Dogs, Eye Banks, eye research and Lion's programs throughout the world.
Besides eyesight conservation, there have been many examples of service towards the Troy community. The club’s very first community service project in 1942 was the purchase of an American Flag, which was donated to the Boy Scouts.
We have sponsored High School sports banquets and little league baseball teams. We have given annual scholarship awards since 1954. For many years we put on the Junior Miss Pageant and the Strawberry Festival Queen Pageant. We have planted trees, purchased raincoats for local school’s safety patrol, sponsored drug awareness programs and adopted a highway to clean. We have helped feed the disadvantaged during the holidays. We have donated an outdoor book return to the public library and a sheltered bench for Duke Park.
The Troy Lions Club has also donated money to many local activities and programs, such as, Community Chest, Boy Scouts, Hospice, Red Cross, After Proms, Cancer Society and the Senior Citizens Building Fund.
Other community activities have included sponsoring joint meetings of the other service clubs in town, taking an active part in Troy’s Sesqui-Centennial Celebration, and entering floats in many of Troy’s parades. In 1976 we won First Place for our float "Washington Crossing the Delaware."
To finance all of the community service, we have had many fundraisers over the years, including putting on musical and minstrel shows and an annual Halloween Celebration on the square. We have had a concession booth at the Miami County Fair, held auctions, a fish fry and sold everything from light bulbs, candy highway flares, fruitcakes, and bicycle stickers to confetti.
Troy Lions have sold roses every year since 1951 and this has become our biggest moneymaker over the years. We also have had a booth at the Strawberry Festival every year since it’s beginning in 1977. We have won the "Best Culinary Award" twice, in 1978 for Strawberry Pies and in 1981 for our chocolate covered strawberries.
To aid our fund raising projects, we purchased our concession trailer in 1977, added an awning in 1989 and obtained a popcorn machine in 1997.
Our meetings have been varied and interesting. Informative and entertaining programs have highlighted many evenings. In addition to the many local celebrities that have addressed our Club, we have heard from Ohio State’s Jack Kramer, Yankee player and Reds announcer Waite Hoyt and nationally known columnist Ann Landers.
We have had many social activities like bus trips to see the Reds, bowling teams, fishing excursions to Lake Erie and trips to comedy clubs. We have held euchre, bingo and square dancing parties. There have been St Patrick’s Day and Valentines Day celebrations, Halloween costume parties, Thanksgiving Day banquets and New Years Eve parties. We have had a Christmas Party every year since 1943.
There have been many evenings and programs for the whole family. The first Ladies Night was held in June 1942. There have been many family picnics and we have toured many local businesses and museums. We also have come together every five years to celebrate the anniversary of this fine organization, the Troy Lions Club.