One last act of service for Lioness Club

(Above) Members of the now-disbanded Clear Lake Lioness Club recently presented three framed items and a $600 donation to the Clear Lake Historial Society Museum and Research Center.  Pictured are (L-R) Charter member Ruth Jost, Roxanne Leonard, Eileen Taylor, Alice Ruby, Gayle Becker, and Historical Society President Beth Ann Schumacher accepting the donation from club treasurer Marsha Carter.-Reporter photo by Marianne Gasaway.by Marianne GasawayAfter four decades of service to the community, the Clear Lake Lioness Club has disbanded.  In a final act of generosity, club members recently visited the soon-to-open Clear Lake Historical Society Museum and Research Center, 800 1st Ave. S., to donate pieces of club history and make a donation.“Being a service club, we served the community in many ways,” members ex-[wlm_nonmember]To read more of this article, please login or sign up for our E-Edition[/wlm_nonmember][wlm_ismember]plained in a collection of items given to the Historical Society.  “In the beginning, we held bake sales, sold raffle tickets for a paid weekend in Des Moines, raffle tickets for meat, held a frozen fish sale, sold brownies and ice cream in the park along Clear Lake Noon Lions on barbeque day which was begun in 1988.  We also took orders for frozen pies and cookie dough that was picked up shortly after Labor Day. All of our profits have always all been given to charities, people with needs and worthwhile organizations. Each year we presented service award and check to two qualifying Clear Lake High School seniors.”In addition to raising money through projects, the club also gave its service to the community by selling tickets at the high school football games, helped with the Lions Glaucoma mobile, collected food and paper products for Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank and Clear Lake Pantry, collected items needed for women’s and men’s shelters and Caring Pregnancy Center in Mason City and others.The Clear Lake Lioness Club was organized and sponsored by Clear Lake Noon Lions Club and Clear Lake Evening Lions Club in 1981. Instrumental in the organization of the club was Lions District Governor Joe Hunst, of Clarion, Iowa, Noon Lions President Dr. Ron Jost and Loren Lease, president of Clear Lake Lions. The club was chartered on March 21, 1981 with 53 members. Four additional members joined shortly after the charter night. The first board members of the club were: President, Ruth Lease; First Vice President, Phyllis Jensen; Second Vice President, Elaine Zuehlke; Secretary, Dolores Fischer; Treasurer, Henrietta Muth; Tail Twister, Helene Bachellor; Lioness Tamer, Virginia Grimm; and Corresponding Secretary, Cindy Johnson. First board of directors were as follows: Florence Hague, Amy Boehm and Dorothy Ubbelohde.  Regular club meetings were held the third Tuesday  of each month and board meetings were set for the second Tuesday monthly. Meeting places varied over the years. After the Clear Lake club was chartered, other Lioness Clubs in the district were established. Forest City Lioness, Mason City Lioness, Britt Lioness, Thornton Lioness and Rudd Lioness followed. Clear Lake Lioness served the community for 40 years, officially disbanding on June 20, 2021. At present, the only remaining Lioness Club in our district is Britt Lioness Club.[/wlm_ismember]