Millerton Lions Club to celebrate 60th anniversary

MILLERTON — The Millerton Lions Club will welcome the community to its 60th anniversary celebration this Saturday, Sept. 13, at Harney and Sons Fine Teas.

The purpose of the celebration is not merely to revel in the wake of past good deeds done on behalf of the Lions Club, which number high on the tally list. The goal of the gathering is also to introduce the work of the Lions to those who are not familiar with the goodwill group, which has been serving the Millerton community for six decades now.

"We have put together a booklet that outlines the 60 years of the Millerton Lions Club and it kind of provides the readers with our sponsors and the businesses who have taken out ads and how we get funded," Millerton Lions Club President Todd Clinton said.

The booklet also tells the story of the Lions’ new pin design, shaped by two hands grasping each other in the shape of a heart. The logo is emblazoned on the invitations to the anniversary celebration, as well as on other Lions material.

"It signifies the spanning generations through the helping hands and giving from the heart," Clinton said. "That’s been the theme we’ve been going through."

The pin is in memory of one of the Lions who is no longer with the group, past member William "Bill" Deverman, who joined in 1967. Both he and his wife, Alma, gave freely of their time to benefit the club, according to Clinton, and the Lions wanted to recognize them for their hard work and dedication.

"Although they’re no longer with us, our community was blessed to have such a wonderful couple work so tirelessly to help others," he said.

The work the Lions does is varied. The organization is known worldwide for its work among the blind. Locally, too, the Millerton chapter works with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, as well as with groups to provide eye exams and eyeglasses for those who cannot afford them. The Lions also work with the local food pantry, the battered women’s shelter, the Millerton Fire Department, the NorthEast-Millerton Library, through scholarship programs and with other local organizations.

"I guess to me what being a Lion means is to give one’s self to help those in need. The feeling that you get from that is really hard to describe," Clinton said. "If everyone just gave a little bit to their community the feeling is just insurmountable."

The Millerton Lions Club was chartered in 1948. It was sponsored by the Sharon, Conn., Lions Club at that time. A history of the club, its programs, an introduction of its dignitaries and its guest speakers will be presented Saturday. Much of that information is also included in the booklet put together for the anniversary celebration.

To attend Saturday’s event, which runs from 2 to 6 p.m., contact Moore and More Printing at 518-789-4508 for tickets, or Saperstein’s at 518-789-3365.

To learn more about joining the Millerton Lions Club, contact Anne Deneen at 518-789-3133. The Lions Club meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Simmons Way Inn on Main Street in Millerton.

If there’s one thing to know about the Lions, Clinton said it should be this:

"The Millerton Lions Club is a group of individuals dedicated to helping those in need, providing enhancement to our community through community gifts and scholarships, and to create an environment that allows our members to enrich their own lives by helping others," he said. "That’s it in a nutshell."