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Club & International History

The Maplewood Lion's Club had it's first organizational meeting November 26, 1925 and received it's Charter on February 2, 1926. The first Charter Night was held on February 24, 1926 at the Irvington Elks Club. Lion's International President Benjamin F. Jones was on hand to present the Charter.

When the club was formed, there were few places available for meetings and we found ourselves moving from one place to another. Since our inception, we have met weekly at the South Orange Elks, Maplewood Country Club, The Winolear and Cryan's to name but a few. Presently, we meet twice a month at Cent'anni.

From our beginning, we have been helping our fellow man with a long series of charitable endeavors. Thousands of dollars have been raised by us for Student Aid Funds, Aid to the blind and almost countless number of local and district charitable projects. Our Township Blood Bank efforts are known statewide.

During the depression years, the Club struggled for survival, as membership and finances dropped. However, our persevering Lion's "hung in there" and as the depression faded, memberships increased significantly. In 1952 The Maplewood Lion's Club founded and sponsored the South Orange Lion's Club, which we reactivated in 1997.

Many members of the Maplewood Lion's Club have served Lionism with distinction at the district level as Zone Chairmen, Deputy Governors, Cabinet Secretaries and Chairmen of State Conventions. Our Owen V. McNany, Joel Zigler, Eddie D. England and Eugene Renkar have served notability as State District Governors. Presently, we are both proud and happy to announce we have 16 past Presidents still active in the Maplewood Lion's Club of over 30 dedicated members .

The Maplewood Lions Club is a member of Lions Clubs International, the world's largest service organization. Founded in 1917, Helen Keller requested that Lions become Knights of the Blind in the crusade against Darkness. Click here for an informative interactive presentation about Lions Club International:

http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/resources_learning_center.shtml

The International Convention is held each year in early July and usually alternates between a location in and outside the United States. Lions Clubs are organized by Districts. Clubs in New Jersey comprise District 16, which has been divided into 5 sub-districts, A, B, C, D, and E. Our Club is in District 16E. The head of the District is the District Governor. District 16 holds its annual convention during the the 3rd weekend in May. The International and State websites can be accessed from our Home page.