History

Organized 55 Years Ago

Our Club was organized in June 1944. The Waynesboro Club sponsored the Club with an original membership of thirty-five members. Lion Glenn Fry was President of Waynesboro and had a major part in getting Blue Ridge Organized.

Lions International granted the Blue Ridge Summit Club its charter on June 14, 1944 with several hundred other Lions making up the audience. This event was held at the U.S.O. Building at Fort Ritchie. This building is gone now, but it was just below the parking lot where Decker's market now stands. William Warfield, who was a soldier at For Ritchie during the war, was the entertainer for this affair. He later went on to be a big star in several Broadway hits. He was a black man and sang "Old Man River" like no one else could do.

Blue Ridge Summit Lions Club was not active from 1947 until 1954. Then with the efforts of State Secretary Julian Chestnut and Lion Roy M Gonder the club reorganized and has been active ever since. It has played an important part in making Lions the largest civic organization in the world. We have had several or our members serve as Zone Chairman in the District Governor's Cabinet.

It would take too much time and space to elaborate on all the good the Blue Ridge Lions Club has done for Blue Ridge Summit and the surrounding communities; however we can truthfully say that "WE SERVE" and have done a lot. Services have included buying glasses for anyone who can not afford to do so, paying for medicines, and also for operations, sponsoring little league baseball teams, etc. Also we have and maintain the small park so that everyone can enjoy it. We would like to see more people using this park. When you see someone who has been made happy by what you have a part of, it makes your pay big and makes you a good Lion.

Ethics

TO SHOW my faith in the worthiness of my vocation by industrious application to the end that I may merit a reputation for quality of service.

TO SEEK success and to demand all fair remuneration or profit as my just due, but to accept no profit or success at the price of my own self respect lost because of unfair advantage taken or because of questionable acts on my part.

TO REMEMBER: that in building up my business it is not necessary to tear down another's; to be loyal to my clients or customers and true to myself.

WHENEVER a doubt arises as to the right or ethicsof my position or action towards my fellow men, to resolve such doubt against myself.

TO HOLD friendship as an end and not a means. To hold that true friendship exists not on account of the service performed by one to another, but that true friendship demands nothing but accepts service in the spirit in which it is given.

ALWAYS to bear in mind my obligations as a citizen to my nation, my state, any my community, and to give to them my unswerving loyalty in word, act and deed. To give them freely of my time, labor, and means.

TO AID my fellow men by giving my sympathy to those in distress, my aid to the weak, and my substance to the needy.

TO BE CAREFUL with my criticisms and liberal with my praise; to build up ant not destroy.

Blue Ridge Summit Lions   PO Box 146   Blue Ridge Summit, PA  17214     717 794-2809      Fax 717 794-0105     Email