(8/26) Chartered on May 15, 1945, the Glade Valley Lions Club has been a staple of the community for nearly 80 years. During this time, they have provided extensive service to residents of Woodsboro, Walkersville, and beyond, and flourished in their fellowship with one another.
Paul Stull, a member for 53 years, has seen the club’s growth and fondly remembers much of the club’s history. Stull used to teach at Walkersville High School, where he learned about the Lions Club from school staff, and while several other current members were WHS faculty as well, participation is certainly not limited.
"Over the years, we have had members of all walks of life," says Stull. "Many different types of members have joined such as doctors, dentists, lawyers, farmers, and mechanics."
This speaks to the club’s openness to all community members, as long as they are passionate about giving back to others. Throughout their history, Lions Club activities have ranged from roadside cleanups to Halloween parties, consignment sales to cornhole competitions. Stull says that his favorite memory of the club is giving out Christmas baskets and seeing the smiles on the faces of the families receiving them.
If members are not directly volunteering, they are helping raise money for numerous organizations and charities. The club’s biggest fundraiser of the year is their annual golf tournament. The 2022 tournament will take place on August 5th at Maple Run Golf Club in Thurmont and is the 26th annual tournament. This year, golf chairman Henry "Butch" Wilson expects as many as 30 teams of golfers (with 4 golfers each, that’s about 120 participants) and between 50 and 60 sponsors.
Wilson has been a member of the Glade Valley Lions Club since 2006 and held the positions of president, district chairman, vice president, and second vice president before becoming golf chairman. In his current position, he oversees a tournament that is now so successful that money not only goes to the club’s scholarship program but other activities as well. "We see golfers from Walkersville, Woodsboro, Frederick, New Windsor, and even as far as Ellicott City," says Wilson.
The Glade Valley Lions Club scholarship program is one of the club’s main investments into the community. This year, five Walkersville High students each received $1,500 to put toward future education.
Isaac Benson, one of the recipients, said that the application was very focused on community service--certainly on par for the club. Benson created the Start Up Club at WHS and has been part of local Boy Scouts Troop 1070 (which, coincidentally, is regularly supported by the Lions Club). He plans to keep up with his volunteerism by joining Engineers Without Borders at UMBC.
Other recipients include Claire Smith, Abigail Wambach, Joshua Stevens, and Willow Stewart. Smith, Wambach, and Stewart were all part of the Leo Club at WHS, a group sponsored by local Lions Clubs for young people interested in service. Lauren Anderson, who helped bring the Leo Club to WHS from her middle school, attended the club’s last June meeting to support her fellow Leos.
"I love seeing the difference it makes on a larger scale," said Anderson. "It was so cool to see all of the committees coming together and thinking of things I never would’ve thought of on my own."
Thanks to the hard work of Anderson, Smith, and many other students, graduating seniors leave a club that is very sustainable for the future with over 100 members.
Anderson’s favorite fundraiser was the Dinner in the Dark event, which she participated in both in 8th and 10th grade. Money raised from Dinner in the Dark supports Leader Dogs for the Blind, an organization the Lions Club has partnered with for many years. During the event, attendees are blindfolded while they dine to gain a sense of the difficulties of blindness.
Georgia Ann Zirkle, a great supporter of the Lions Club, says that work for the blind is very important and she has been continuously impressed by the organization’s commitment to the cause.
At the last June meeting, newly elected club president Martin "Marty" Potash addressed another cause he feels passionate about. "Diabetes is actually one of the main causes of blindness, and I hope to bring that issue more to the forefront," said Potash.
He also made an announcement about yet another popular club activity--its participation in the Walkersville Volunteer Fire Co. Carnival. During the carnival, club members sell fries (and sometimes other food as well) to raise money for the club. Potash pointed out that anyone is welcome to volunteer with the club, including Leos and non-members.
The Glade Valley Lions Club also strives to connect with other clubs in the area. In fact, Glade Valley Lions have been invited to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Frederick Lions Club’s charter this year. The Frederick club is the longest running club in all of Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. The celebration will feature a president from an international club as its keynote speaker. With Lions Clubs in over 200 countries, this is an honor and a testament to the widespread impact of Lions Clubs globally.
Stull stated, "The camaraderie of people in the Lions Club is amazing. I feel lucky to be a part of a community like this." The rest of the club strongly shares this sentiment, with many noting their favorite service activities and memories of giving back to the community.
The Glade Valley Lions Club currently meets at St. John’s United Church of Christ in Woodsboro every first and third Thursday of the month. You can follow the club on Facebook or find more information at their website (https://e-clubhouse.org/sites/gladevalley/index.php). Interested in joining? Reach out to an officer via mail or email, which are both listed on their site contact page.
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