My grandfather was a doctor. He was one of the last of the old time “GP‘s.” He practiced medicine from the basement of the home he and my grandmother lived in for more than 50 years, living there in the community, close to the patients that he tended*. He made house calls in the middle of the night. Although I was too young to know or understand it at the time, I realize now that my grandfather was the most compassionate man I have ever known.

My grandfather was also a Lion. He was a founding member (in 1927), and five-time President of his local Lions club in the Chicago area. He was part of a delegation of Lions who went to the State Legislature in 1930, to testify in support of the Illinois White Cane Law – the first State to adopt such a statute. I have no doubt that he was on a first-name basis with Lions‘ founder Melvin Jones, as they would have been contemporaries there in Chicago in those early days of Lionism. I remember eating an awful lot of Lions Club Life Savers growing up as a kid, and I was a sighted peer-camper in the early days of Illinois‘ Camp Lions.

So my involvement in Lionism is both a legacy and a family affair. When I determined that I had the time and energy to devote to helping others, I came looking, and found the Tri-Village Lions. My guess is that if we interviewed them, we would find as many different reasons and routes to the Lions Club as we have members. We are all here because of our own histories, our own experiences, our own decisions. But we share a common commitment.

The Mission of the Lions Club is “… to empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions Clubs.” We each bring to the Club different ideas about how best to fulfill that mission, but we recognize that our joint efforts can be a powerful agent for change in our community – and we are committed to making that happen.

Here‘s to the start of a new year of Lions Club activities, programs, projects. Here‘s to the renewal of our joint commitment to making a difference. Here‘s to us!

Lion Jane Jarrow
President

*He accepted most of his fees in cash from the European immigrants who were largely his patients and did not trust banks. When they didn’t have cash, my grandfather accepted whatever they had to offer, from homegrown tomatoes and tuna casseroles, to chauffeur services after he had surgery and could not drive for 6 weeks.