Springtown Lions Club

A legacy of service and community

SPRINGTOWN — The Springtown Lions Club was founded Dec. 3, 1959, and has been a pillar of service in the community ever since.

Jaclyn Taylor is the secretary for the Lions Club and explained the mission behind the organization.

“Our mission statement is to empower volunteers to serve their community, meet humanitarian needs, mentor youth, and encourage peace,” Taylor said. “By joining the local Lions Club, you can help achieve the goal of the organization and accomplish the task of serving our growing community in a multitude of ways.”

With a strong presence in Springtown, the club has become widely recognized for its commitment to youth sports.

The Springtown Lions Club offers a variety of youth sports programs including baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, football and cheer.

Age ranges include kindergarten to sixth grade with some programs extending to 14U and middle school levels. But what sets this chapter apart from other chapters is its unique connection to youth athletics.

“Springtown Lions Club stands out because it is a unique outreach of connecting with the community,” Taylor said. “It allows our organization to connect with people and serve in a multitude of areas. The Springtown Lions Club has joined forces with an array of organizations in the community to serve the needs of individuals, groups and schools. The Springtown sports are a very large part of that. Each sports board within the club actively gives back to the community, supporting schools and families in need. Our volleyball board created a program that a few of the other sports joined in with, helping buy for the nurses in our school district to get them some necessities that they like to help kids with, like snacks for kids who come to school hungry or undergarments for when unexpected accidents happen.”

But their impact extends far beyond the playing field.

Springtown Lions Club also participates in several humanitarian efforts.

“We are also a part of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and are currently servicing 102 kids with 172 books sent out in the last month with plans to approve another 50 kids come March,” Taylor said. “This program mails out books to children ages 0-5 every month, promoting early childhood literacy before kindergarten. This year, the district Lions Club’s initiative was to support Leader Dogs for the Blind. Our fundraising board took up donations at a local bingo night to go directly towards it.”

Expanding across the board, the club supports all kinds of fundraising efforts.

“Every October a few of our sports boards pick a woman in the community fighting breast cancer and donate all T-shirt funds to the family,” Taylor said. “We have an eyeglass program where if kids in the community without insurance need glasses, we will help cover those costs to get them what they need.”

The club also raised funds for Leader Dogs for the Blind at a recent bingo night that contributed to the Lions Club International initiative.

Throughout the year, seasonal events like the Easter egg “drop” and sports tournaments help gain money for facility improvements and community outreach.

For those interested in joining the Springtown Lions Club, attending a monthly meeting is the first step.

Meetings take place the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the upstairs room of the Lions Club gym.

Potential members must complete paperwork, be voted in and must pay dues to the Lions Club International.

The club has another bingo night planned for the end of March. Volleyball registration is currently open for spring, while baseball and softball seasons are about to start.

Football and cheer registration will open before the fall season. The club also hopes to host a sports camp this summer.

“We want to be more than just sports,” Taylor said. “We want to be able to do so much more to serve our community in many different ways.

We hope that one day we will have more volunteers to make these things happen.”