Howard Lions Club celebrates 50 years of serving others
TAMMY COAKLEY/THE EXPRESS Shown here, from left are Howard Area Lions original charter members, Lion Kurt Holt, Lion Gene Teaman, holding the framed charter, and Lion Willard Brownson. Howard Area Lions Club was chartered on May 5, 1976.
TAMMY COAKLEY/THE EXPRESS Since 2021, the Howard Area Lions Club has welcomed “Lady Lions,” to their membership roll. Some 15 ladies are now part of the local club.
TAMMY COAKLEY/THE EXPRESS Howard Area Lions are shown at a recent club meeting. Shown left to right are Donna Benner, secretary; Bob Patishnock, president, and director George Mochan.
TAMMY COAKLEY/THE EXPRESS Shown here, from left are Howard Area Lions original charter members, Lion Kurt Holt, Lion Gene Teaman, holding the framed charter, and Lion Willard Brownson. Howard Area Lions Club was chartered on May 5, 1976.
TAMMY COAKLEY/THE EXPRESS Since 2021, the Howard Area Lions Club has welcomed “Lady Lions,” to their membership roll. Some 15 ladies are now part of the local club.
TAMMY COAKLEY/THE EXPRESS Howard Area Lions are shown at a recent club meeting. Shown left to right are Donna Benner, secretary; Bob Patishnock, president, and director George Mochan.
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HOWARD -- The Howard Area Lions Club celebrated 50 years of being a chartered club earlier this year. The club was officially chartered on May 5, 1976, with 63 men signing the charter. Today, only six of those original charter members, Willard Brownson, Bobby DeArment, Jr., Kurt Holt, Dick Rhoades, Gene Teaman and Doug Winslow, are living and remain on the membership roll with the club.
Today, 50 years after its chartering, the club boasts 102 members, making it one of the largest clubs in Pennsylvania as far as membership numbers.
Since June 21, 2021, when the club was granted permission to accept four ladies from a Lioness group whose number of members was steadily declining, the club now accepts both men and women who have a desire to help others and serve in their communities. Today there are 15 "Lady Lions" involved with the Howard Area Lions Club.
Howard Area Lions Club has members from Howard, Blanchard, Milesburg, Bellefonte, Julian, Hublersburg and Lamar in Centre County, as well as members living in Beech Creek, Mill Hall and the Lock Haven area of Clinton County.
"Where you live has no bearing on whether you are accepted into our club membership," said Howard Area Lions Club president Bob Patishnock. "If you have a desire to help others in our area while working side by side together at various projects and functions, then you're who we'd like to be in our club," Patisnock said.
The Lions motto is "We Serve," and the Howard Area Lions Club continues to find ways to serve individuals and organizations at the local, state, national and international levels.
The Lions hold fundraising activities throughout the year to earn funds that are used to support groups in the community as well. Funds come from Bingos that are held twice a month from September through May, parking cars during the Centre County Grange Fair week and taking their food trailers to events such as Howard Fire Company's Punkin Chunkin Festival in October and the Orviston Festival in July.
It is during these events that "'many hands make light work,' when our Lions can work together with camaraderie," Patishnock said.
In addition to fundraising events, the Lions gather twice monthly to help distribute food bank aid to residents in the area. In cooperation with the Howard Fire Company, the Lions host a bimonthly blood drive at the Yearick Center.
Another of the resources that the Howard Lions Club has offered for years is their medical equipment loaner program. The Lions have a supply of items that people are allowed to borrow, free of charge, to help with their recoveries or well-being. Items like canes, wheelchairs, hospital beds and more are loaned to be used as long as they are needed.
Patishnock indicated that when someone becomes a member of our Howard Area Lions Club, he doesn't expect them to be at every function that is happening, but "we have a great group of Lions who volunteer their time and talents at different events, and that makes projects move along more smoothly and efficiently," he said.
Aside from fundraising and service projects, Howard Area Lions Club members meet twice each month, generally for a dinner meeting on the first Tuesday evening of the month, that is held at various churches in the community and a later business meeting held on the third Tuesday evening of the month at the Yearick Center – the Howard fire hall.
In celebration of their 50 years of service to others, the Howard Area Lions Club extends an open invitation to men and women of the community who have a desire to serve others while being a member of Lions International, one of the most influential organizations in the world.
The Howard Area Lions Club invites you to join their club today! See any of the club members for an application or call Lion Bob Patishnock at 570-660-7564 for more information.