The Fountain Hills Community Lions Club is small but members “roar.”

Club President Laura Olson said the organization, which started just a little more than a year ago, now has 12 members and is growing.

“We will have an induction ceremony March 16 for our two newest members,” said Membership Chair Don Wendel.

Olson, who started the club in honor of her father, who was a Lions Club member for 65 years in Wisconsin, said she has heard about others who are interested in joining.

“We welcome people to call any time to get information about joining,” Olson said.

Wendel said the club voted to join the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce, enabling members to meet at the chamber, which is where the induction ceremony will be held.

“Joining the chamber is a great way for us to network and get the word out about the Lions Club,” Wendel said. “We definitely want to grow our membership.”

The Community Lions Club, so named because there had been a Fountain Hills Lions Club in the past, has a number of projects on the horizon. Members will provide eyesight screening for students and participate in the Peace Poster Project for middle school students, a Lions Club International concern.

The school projects will begin next fall.

They also collect used eyeglasses, which are then taken to a sorting center in Phoenix and given to those who cannot afford glasses, both in the United States and abroad.

“Since we are small, we don’t want to get in over our heads with projects,” Wendel said. “But we do offer these programs, and look forward to providing these services to the community.

Used eyeglasses can be dropped off at MorningStar Senior Living, 16800 E. Paul Nordin Pkway., or Capella Eyecare, 12625 N. Saguaro Blvd., Ste. 106.

Club members also are interested in the environment and in hunger issues. They have begun working with Fountain Hills Community Garden and are regular donors to Extended Hands Food Bank.

Lions Club International, the largest service club in the world, was founded in 1917 in Chicago by Melvin Jones, who was born in Fort Thomas, Ariz., a tiny town north of Safford.

There are more than 46,000 local clubs and some 1.4 million members n 200 countries around te world.

Notable Lions are former President Jimmy Carter, the late President Gerald Ford, Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller, Roberto Clemente and Larry Bird.

The Lions motto is “We Serve.” The Lions acronym stands for Liberty, Intelligence and Our Nations’ Safety.

The local stated purpose is to encourage service-minded people to serve their community without personal financial reward.

The local club meets virtually the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. via the GoToMeeting platform. The induction ceremony will be held in person with COVID-19 precautions. For more information about any of the club’s activities, contact Olson at 480-403-1264, or Wendel at 507-766-3076.