The Pickerington Lions Club:

Over 60 Years of Service to Others

The Pickerington Lions Club was organized September 23, 1946, with the Canal Winchester Lions Club as our sponsor. There were 38 charter members that year, with Frank W. Fenstermaker serving as our first President. 

The motto of the Pickerington Lions Club is "We Serve".  Adhering to this motto, the club got right to work sponsoring functions for community entertainment and community improvements. 

On June 7, 1947, our first Strawberry Social was held – an annual event for 37 years.  In December 1947, the first of numerous Christmas home decorating contests was held.  In March 1948, the first of four minstrel shows was sponsored.  And in September of 1949, the club held it's first Labor Day homecoming parade and fish fry, a yearly tradition that is eagerly anticipated by community residents even to this day.

December 1951 found the Club decorating the Pickerington Library, something the Lions continued to do at Christmas for many years.  In 1956 the Club planted and harvested a field of corn with proceeds going to Club projects.  The Club operated a booth at the Millersport Lions Sweet Corn Festival for several years and also worked to clean the Festival grounds for a number of years.  Light bulb & broom sales have been held annually for many years, as well.  Other activities have included sales of Halloween candy, Holiday fruit baskets & Entertainment Books, our White Cane Fundraiser and our annual Pickerington Lions Club Pizza Challenge.

So what has the Club done with the money raised from these projects?  A major beneficiary has been our schools: $1600 for a well before we had city water, $3000 for the athletic field, a piano, water fountain, band uniforms, the GOOD Program and support of athletic teams and booster groups.  We have also sponsored delegates to Boys and Girls State.

Innumerable Pickerington citizens have benefited from the Club's donations to pay for eye exams and eyeglasses for those in need.  Donations have also been made for eye operations and for the purchase of close-circuit TVs for magnifying printed material for the visually impaired.  Additionally, the Club provides ongoing monetary support to Pilot Dogs, Eye research, the Diabetes Association, the Cancer Society, the Central Ohio Lions Eye Bank and Laboratory, Radio Reading Service, Camp Echoing Hills and other organizations supporting our common goal of service to those in need.  In 2004, we organized money and efforts to build a “soft room” in the Pickerington Police Department.

A project from the Club's very beginning - and one that continues to this day - was our sponsorship of Boy Scout Troop 256.  We also sponsor the Pickerington Leo Club in the high schools.

A large project over the years has been the construction and maintenance of the Terry O’Brien shelter house and storage building in Victory Park.  Over the past 20 years, the club has made several major contributions, including:  $10,000 to the Pickerington Senior Citizens Center, $5,000 to the Sycamore Park Covered Bridge Committee and $1,200 to the New York Firemen’s fund after the terrorist attacks of 9-11.  In the 2003-04 Lions Year, we raised thousands of dollars and put many man-hours into furnishing and dedicating a "soft room" at the Pickerington Police Department.  This room -- which looks like a family living room -- is used by police when interviewing children or victims of domestic violence to give them a more comfortable and safe atmosphere in which to talk to police.  

Most recently, we are well on our way to acheiving our pledge of $5,000 to Campaign SightFirst II.

The members of our club take great pride in our long history of service to the community and we look forward to many decades of service to come.