Lions Club disbands

The Xenia Lions Club continued its service to the community even as the organization ceased operations in April. The difficult decision to disband the organization was a result of declining membership. One of the service club’s final official acts was to transfer the balance of the Club’s bank account to Toward Independence.

Toward Independence, with its headquarters in Xenia, is a nonprofit established in 1975. Toward Independence currently provides a variety of services in six counties to over 200 people with developmental disabilities. The Xenia Lions Club’s generous gift will assist Toward Independence in furthering its mission to enrich those lives.

The long history of the Xenia Lions Club began in 1920. Although the Lions disbanded temporarily a couple of times in the ensuing decades, the club’s history in Xenia spanned nearly 100 years from November of 1920 to April of 2020. The most recent configuration of the Xenia Lions Club dates back to the 1960’s. From that time to the present, the Lions held community fundraisers, collected and donated eyeglasses, hearing aids and used cell phones. The eyeglasses went to needy individuals in less developed countries, the hearing aids to St. Rita’s School for the Deaf and the cell phones to the women’s shelter. The Lions also assisted Xenia adults, children and families in need by purchasing new eyeglasses and hosting Christmas dinners where gifts were given to many of those in attendance.

The immediate past president Rodger Sanders,said, “The members voted and chose Toward Independence to receive these funds because they felt the money would be put to good use to support the people who Toward Independence serves.”

Some members of the former Xenia Club are transferring to the Jamestown Lions Club so that they can continue the Lions Club’s mission. The Xenia Community will miss the good works of the Xenia Lions Club and Toward Independence expresses its gratitude for the generous donation. CONTRIBUTED