by Jon Morgan – Melvin Jones Fellowship Chair
Even a pandemic cannot stop the Easton Lions from honoring our own! On Friday, July 3, a caravan of Lions visited the homes of the three recently honored members being recognized for their contributions to the Club and our community.
Melvin Jones Fellowship members and Board of Directors members shared visits to Scot Kudcey, Pattie Somers and Ken Lamb (husband of deceased member Veronica Lamb). Of course, social distancing and masks were in use where appropriate!
Our ambassador’s caravan made quite an entrance when we arrived at the homes, where a history of Melvin Jones was offered, and a plaque given to commemorate the Lion’s recognition. We were proud to honor these Lions in this way, and Ken Lamb and his family were especially moved by our Club’s recognition of Veronica’s contributions.
Each honoree has been added to our Awards and Honors page here.
Honoring our Fellow Lions
Read by Jon Morgan at each presentation:
The International Association of Lions Clubs is the largest civic organization in the world. The association was founded for the purpose of serving others, and in so doing, make our communities a better place to live. Here in Easton, we’re fortunate to be the home of one of the most outstanding Lions Clubs in the world (which the Easton Lions Club was recognized as in 2008)!
In 1973, the Lions Clubs International Foundation recognized the need to establish a special commendation for a particular dimension of service. As a result, the Melvin Jones Fellowship was created. The Fellowship is not an award; rather it is a recognition given to humanitarians.
In 1917, Melvin Jones, a 38-year-old Chicago business leader, told members of his local business club they should reach beyond business issues and address the betterment of their communities and the world. Jones’ group, the Business Circle of Chicago, agreed. After contacting similar groups around the United States, an organizational meeting was held on June 7, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois. The new group took the name of one of the invited groups, the “Association of Lions Clubs,” and a national convention was held in Dallas, Texas in October of that year. A constitution, by-laws, objectives and a code of ethics were also approved.
Just three years after our founding, Lions became international when we established the first club in Canada. Mexico followed in 1927. In the 1950s and 1960s international growth accelerated, with new clubs in Europe, Asia and Africa. Since then, we’ve earned high marks for both integrity and transparency. We’re a well-run organization with a steady vision, a clear mission, and a long – and proud – history.
In 1925, Helen Keller addressed the Lions Clubs International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio and challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness”. Since then, we have worked tirelessly to aid the blind and visually impaired and to eradicate blindness.
The fellowship is named as a tribute to the founder of Lions Clubs International, Melvin Jones. Designated as Lions Clubs International Foundation’s highest honor, the fellowship symbolizes the characteristics of individuals who are dedicated to humanitarian service. Those attributes are generosity, compassion and concern for others.
Melvin Jones asked a simple and world-changing question – what if people put their talents to work improving their communities? Just over 100 years later, Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization, with 1.35 million members in more than 46,000 clubs and countless stories of Lions acting on the same simple idea: let’s improve our communities!
As part of the induction into the Melvin Jones Fellowship, the name of the individual will be added to the official fellowship record. From the time of the presentation forward, the name of the individual will be displayed on a computerized plaque in the LCIF Recognition Room at International Headquarters. A $1000- donation made in the name of the Easton Lions Club to the Lions Clubs International Foundation will benefit the recognition of the individual. LCIF/ Fellowship donations are largely responsible for the successful launching the Lions’ aggressive global attack on preventable and curable blindness—the LCIF Sight First programs.
Fellowship donations also help fund long term reconstruction and relief projects following major disasters, such as the Haiti, Australia and Japan earthquakes as well as support for natural disaster victims in our country. Donations also support vocational assistance programs that teach skills to disabled persons, giving them an opportunity to live productively and independently.
