Gravette Lions Club inducts three new members

Photo by Susan Holland Three new members of the Gravette Lions Club were inducted in a special ceremony at a breakfast meeting of the club Saturday, Feb. 4. Jeremy Gaytan, Maricela Gaytan and Karen Benson are shown here displaying the special centennial pins and framed membership certificates they received. Bill Mattler, secretary of the Gravette club and zone chairperson, conducted the induction ceremony.
Photo by Susan Holland Three new members of the Gravette Lions Club were inducted in a special ceremony at a breakfast meeting of the club Saturday, Feb. 4. Jeremy Gaytan, Maricela Gaytan and Karen Benson are shown here displaying the special centennial pins and framed membership certificates they received. Bill Mattler, secretary of the Gravette club and zone chairperson, conducted the induction ceremony.

GRAVETTE -- Three new members of the Gravette Lions Club were inducted in a special breakfast meeting Feb. 4 at the In Zone Restaurant. Karen Benson, Jeremy Gaytan and Maricela Gaytan were welcomed into the club and presented with special centennial pins and framed membership certificates. Bill Mattler, secretary of the Gravette club and zone chairperson, conducted the induction ceremony. He asked the inductees to close their eyes as they were led to the front of the room by their sponsor, Susan Holland, so that they might briefly experience the world that a blind person has to deal with each day of their life.

Preceding the induction ceremony, Jeff Davis, president of the Gravette club, gave a short history of the Lions Club organization, founded in Chicago on June, 1917, by businessman Melvin Jones. Jones sought to revamp the traditional businessmen's club and change it from a focus on seeking business opportunities to serving the community. Davis told how, at the international convention in Ohio in 1925, Helen Keller begged the Lions to be "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness," giving the Lions their primary mission of aiding the blind and visually impaired. Davis also presented a brief overview of projects the Gravette club has sponsored in their three-year history.

Guests at the meeting were introduced, including Myrna McGee of the Bella Vista club, district governor-elect, and Larry Robinson and his niece Laura, two members of the Siloam Springs Lions Club.

Members and guests enjoyed a breakfast buffet preceding the induction.

The Gravette Lions Club meets at 12 noon the first and the third Tuesdays of each month at the In Zone Restaurant on Highway 59 just north of Main Street. The next regular meeting of the club will be Tuesday, Feb. 21. Prospective members and guests are always welcome.

Community on 02/15/2017