Lions of history
by JENNY HARRIS - Ravalli Republic
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The Hamilton Lion’s Club has been active in the valley since 1930. In that time, they’ve been the social and philanthropic home to many of Ravalli County’s most prominent citizens. Now, the club is working to resurrect that sense of community service and increase membership.
WILL MOSS - Ravalli Republic
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There’s a room in Hamilton where the city’s most prominent citizens used to meet.
It was a time when giving back to the community was still an integral part of American culture. A time when no matter how long or busy the work week, people still managed to donate time to philanthropic efforts.
Originally charted in 1930, the membership of Hamilton Lion’s Club once listed more than 100 of the city’s bankers, doctors, lawyers and street merchants dedicated to the mission of community involvement.
Almost 80 years later, the club’s once vibrant and grand membership has dwindled to 25 members. Its history and accomplishments displayed in black and white photographs on the walls of the Bank Exchange meeting room.
While the club’s membership may have dwindled, it’s clear the friendship and camaraderie among members hasn’t gone away.
Every Tuesday, members file in for lunch and trade iced tea across the table as easily as they do jokes.
There’s no set agenda other than discussing the group’s budget, who will man the bingo booth at the fair and other future projects. Each member proudly dons the traditional purple vest of Lions Clubs everywhere.
Hamilton Lions Club Vice President John Orlando, a Lions member since 1998, said what the club really needs is new members.
“We’ve lost a lot of members over the years,” Orlando said. “Most have passed on from age ... Back in the day, it used to be more of a club of the city and we’ve gotten away from that. We’re hopeful we can turn it around and garner more membership. I don’t know if it was a different time back then, or people just had more time, but I think civic clubs across the country are feeling a loss of membership as well.
“It’s too bad, we do some great things here and give a lot back to the community,” he said.
Giving back to the community has always been the club’s theme. Many of its past projects are today’s landmarks of Hamilton.
The club helped fund the creation of Armory Park, donated funds to the Bitterroot Public Library for large-print books, helped create the Durland Roadside Park, and acquired then donated the Alta ranger station cabin on Hughes Creek to the Bitterroot National Forest. The club also built and remodeled the community pavilion at Legion Park.
Class of 1922 Hamilton High School graduate, Jack Coulter, who was also the Ravalli Republic’s publisher during the 1940s, served as the Montana Lions Club district governor.
Some of this year’s community projects include donating $8,000 for community sight programs, providing free-sight screenings for valley schools, funding a local golf tournament and running the annual bingo booth at the Ravalli County Fair.
This year, the club will be raffling off a new ATV four-wheeler to help pay for future projects.
“We do a lot of great things that I think people aren’t aware of,” said Jim Whitlock, Lions member. “We’ve got great members and although the number is lower than it used to, they are still a lot of the community’s movers and shakers.”
“The club used to be something that represented Hamilton in the early days, business professionals, doctors, bankers, merchants, Justices of the Peace and it’s still like that today,” he said. “We’ve got a superintendent of schools, a retired PAO with the Forest Service. We just hope we can carry our tradition of service into the next generation.”
Hamilton Chief of Police Ryan Oster said he recently joined the club for its strong notion of community.
“It’s important to do things for your community and civic organizations are a way to do that,” Oster said. “The folks in the Lions Club ... are a great group of people and they put a lot of money back into the community, especially for sight and hearing. I know it’s getting harder and harder to find people who want to join civic clubs. They don’t seem to be the thing to do anymore, which is too bad. There are so many really great folks involved with them, especially the Lions. Although they have low membership, all of the members seem to be really active in the club.”
The Lions are an international network of 1.3 million men and women in 202 countries and geographic areas, working together to answer the needs that challenge communities around the world.
With beginnings as early as 1917, the association of Lions Clubs has provided millions of people with the opportunity to give something back to their communities. The club is most widely known for its work on preventing blindness. They also work on numerous and varying projects that range from cleaning up local parks to providing supplies to victims of natural disasters.
Reporter Jenny Harris can be reached at 363-3300 or at jharris@ravallirepublic.com
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