Serving Hartsville for nearly 89 years

Since 1917, Lions International has been lending humanitarian assistance to communities across the nation, and since 1920, it has spread worldwide.

Formerly called the Lions Club, it has grown into the largest community-based humanitarian association in the world.

Although Lions International is involved with a myriad of projects, it is best known for its blindness prevention projects.

“We are now in 210 different countries around the world,” said Tennessee District 12-S Governor of Lions International Benny Maggart. “This includes most languages and all forms of governments and religions. We are not a religious organization or a political organization. We are a humanitarian organization working together in our local communities with our local clubs to better the citizens of our communities, and, collectively, put together funds for doing work around the world.

“In 1925, a lady named Helen Keller spoke at the international convention in Cedar Point, Ohio. It was there that she challenged the Lions to become ‘knights for the blind in the fight against darkness.’ They took it up, and that has been the primary focus of Lions Clubs ever since. We have branched off into other things, but sight conservation has been the main program that we have been known for worldwide.”

For nearly a century, Hartsville has had a long, rich history with the Lions, but the once active club has dwindled throughout the past decade, as its membership has continued to drastically decrease.

“The Hartsville Club was chartered on Nov. 29, 1935,” said Maggart. “So, this November, it will be 89 years old. We only have two clubs in our district that are older than that. So, it’s been around a long time. They came out of the Depression and through World War II. They built up, and the Hartsville Club was a large club and very active through the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. I’ve been a Lion for 43 years, and I always remember the Hartsville Club being a club that was mentioned quite often among the other clubs.

“Even pre-COVID, the Hartsville club started losing members, but when COVID struck, that knocked a few more people out. Plus, we lost some members to hardship. We did notice a couple of years ago that we were going to have to do something, or we were going to lose the club, and we certainly didn’t want to lose a club that was over 80 years old.”

Recently, the Hartsville Lions Club has been making a concerted effort to draw new members in.

“Technically, we’ve always said that you have to be invited to become a Lion,” said Maggart. “We’d ask friends, relatives or acquaintances that we felt were of good character and would be a good fit to take a look at us and see if we’d be a good fit for them. We, then, would invite them into a meeting. But since then, we have had a drop-off in membership in some of the clubs. Now we’re doing more things to attract people, so they will be able to get acquainted with what Lions do. If they show interest, we invite them to be a Lion. We ask people, but we give them the opportunity to find out what we’re about.

“The Hartsville club meets on the third Thursday of the month at La Quesadilla in their meeting room. Some of us get there at 6 p.m. to eat and fellowship, and then around 6:30 p.m., we do business. It’s very informal. As we get more people, we will get a little more formal.”

Maggart said that he is extending an open invitation to anyone who would like to learn more about Lions International, to come to the meeting at La Quesadilla Mexican Restaurant in Hartsville on May 16.

But while all are welcome, Maggart’s hope is that younger people will take up the mantle of service to the community as a Lion.