A local club that tries to help every corner of the community is celebrating its 75th anniversary of service this year.
The Eudora Lions Club was founded in 1951 to foster community support, disaster relief and fundraising. Over two dozen local business owners gathered to establish the club and honor the motto “We serve.”
“At that time, it was a lot of business people that were signed up to be a part of the Lions Club because they felt that assisted their business, as well, by being a member,” said Gary Scott, a current Lions Club member.
Scott’s father, Earl Raymond Scott, was a founding member of the club. He owned the electric and plumbing store, Scott Electric & Plumbing at 729 Main St., for 33 years. Other members owned the grocery store, hardware store and a pharmacy. Several families of founding members are still in Eudora, Scott said.
“I’m very proud of that,” Scott said. “We know what it’s like now in a small community, but in 1951, the community was a lot smaller. So, Lions Club really even meant a lot more.”
Charter members, according to eudorakshistory, were W. Glenn Brown, Al Colman, Keith Colman, Harold Daugherty, Johnnie Douglas, Harry J. Edwards, John J. Halligan, Dr. B. L. Harden, Jack Howard, Archie Jameson, Don Joslin, D. E. Kerr, W.C. Mercier, R. C. Ogden, Alf T. H. Oleson, Fred Papenhausen, Delbert Reusch, Fred Rothberger, E. R. Scott, S.C. Simons, James B. Smith, Charles Taylor, Wilfred Trefz, David Wilson, Glen Wilson, Howard Wilson and Fred Ziesenis. Kerr served as first president.
In 1955, the club was instrumental in numbering the houses in Eudora, Administrator Eric Tweedy said. They have continuously hosted fundraisers like chili dinners for the Boy Scouts, and they provided funds for the public library’s flag pole in the 1970s. In 2014, the club donated $5,000 to the Eudora Area Historical Society to help restore its building in downtown Eudora.
Today, the club serves in every corner of Eudora, partnering with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Eudora Schools Foundation and the food pantry. It helps with cemetery maintenance, road cleanup and fundraising to send students to band camp. Every year, the Lions Club collects glasses to send worldwide for those without access or funds.
When a tornado struck Douglas County in 2019, the Lions responded by distributing free items like shovels and brooms to clean up the damage.
“Typically 24 to 48 hours, money is where it needs to be, and Lions are boots on the ground,” Tweedy said. “That’s worldwide, not just in Kansas.”
The local club now has 32 members, men and women, who are all volunteers.
“Eudora as a small town, there isn’t a whole lot of services. I mean, we have one main food pantry. Because we have this strong little club, we’re just able to help our community a lot more in areas we lack in because we are small,” Vice President Katrina Hayes said.
One of the club’s annual events is the Angel Tree during Christmas. For over 10 years, the club made a Christmas dinner for families in need. Last year, they gave 75 families gift cards to Gene’s Heartland Foods to buy a Christmas dinner instead. The club also gifted 120 children clothes, toys and bicycles last Christmas.
“We had one gentleman, several people really, that was starting to cry because their kids were getting brand new bicycles, and they thanked us over and over again,” President Kathy Strimple said.
The Lions Club is an international organization with 1.4 million members and 50,000 clubs that serve in over 200 countries. Each club receives funding primarily from local fundraisers, member dues, grants and the Lions Club International Foundation. The foundation is also funded by donations and grants.
The Lions Club began allowing women members after a 1987 Supreme Court ruling determined that Rotary Clubs could not exclude members based on gender. Now the Lions Club has over 425,000 women members.
Tweedy created a branch of the Lions Club in 2024, exclusive to Eudora, called Lions of Pride and Purpose for LGBTQ+ people and allies. The branch stocked Free Little Libraries in the community with books, including banned books. They held a coat drive to donate winter clothing to the Social Service League store, a Lawrence non profit that funds local charities.
“It has meant a lot because the Lion’s motto is ‘We serve.’ And we started that branch because we felt that community needs help and support, especially now. So, it means a lot,” Tweedy said.
Member Rebecca Giubileo was at a Pride festival after having just moved to Eudora from California. She only knew her family and was looking to get involved in the community. Tweedy was tabling at the event and inspired her to join.
“Now I can see people out and about and be like, ‘Oh I know them.” I feel like I know what’s happening in Eudora,” Giubileo said.
The Lions acquire new members by tabling at Main Street Market and posting on their social media. Word-of-mouth has brought most of the members together.
Those interested in joining the club are encouraged to attend a meeting at 7 p.m. on the first and third Monday of every month at the Community Center.
The club will privately celebrate its 75th anniversary together April 25 with a slideshow highlighting its years of service.
