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	The Manchester Enterprise A Heritage Newspaper Weekly Publication

New Lions Club taking shape

A second meeting will take place March 22 at the Whistle Stop

By Edward Freundl, Heritage Newspapers

PUBLISHED: March 8, 2007

The turnout was smaller than expected, but the half-dozen who attended an organizational meeting seem determined to make a new Lions Club in Manchester a reality.

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The discussion took place Feb. 22 at the Whistle Stop Restaurant, 115 E. Main St.

Organizers from Lions Clubs in Napoleon and Michigan Center had hoped more would attend, but considered it a "positive" first step.

"It was a real positive meeting," said Jerry Horsch of the Michigan Center Lions. "We ended up with six confirmed new members, got them all excited and revved up, and they're going to go out to recruit new members."

Dan Shepherd of Napoleon agreed with Horsch's assessment.

"They're pretty excited and they're going to go out and talk to more people," he said. "It looks like it will come to be."

Horsch and Shepherd decided to give it another shot, so a follow-up meeting will take place 7 p.m. March 22, again at the Whistle Stop.

"We're going back to Manchester this week going to talk to professional people in town and village political leaders," Shepherd said.

"A lot of people were amazed at how much the Lions Club did for the visually impaired and handicapped; they were very impressed with that."

One of those was Dr. Julie Manders, director of the Manchester Eye Care Center, who said she would help spread the word about the Lions Club.

"I clued in a few people around town, and we're hoping to have a lot of people on the 22nd," Manders said.

Her profession is a perfect fit for the Lions' mission of sight preservation.

"I'm an optometrist, and that's what caught my interest (in the club)," Manders said.

Lions Clubs International is best-known for projects involving sight and hearing preservation.

The list includes cataract surgery, preschool vision screenings, paying for eyeglasses, hearing aids and related medical exams for the needy, and collecting used eyeglasses and hearing aids to be refurbished and donated to impoverished areas in this and other countries.

Lions Clubs also support Leader Dog training, Braille transcribing, diabetes research and organ donation.

In accordance with its motto, "We Serve," Lions Clubs are dedicated to service projects on a community level.

Lions Clubs International is the largest service club in the world. Established in 1917 in the Chicago area, today there are approximately 1.3 million Lions clubs members in 200 countries or territories in the world.

Horsch and Shepherd are looking forward to the March 22 meeting to be able to reach out to the 20 members needed to charter a new club.

"The Lions Club can do a lot for the people who live in the Manchester area" Shepherd said.

Edward Freundl is a reporter for Heritage Newspapers. He can be reached at 428-8173 or efreundl@heritage.com.