Shartlesville Lions had a dual special event at the club’s most recent meeting. The Lions involved in one were known by all, the other a secret until it was announced.
The agenda followed its usual route at the Blue Mountain Restaurant, with dinner and the business meeting, including the installation of officers for the Lions program year 2016-2017 beginning on July 1. That duty was accomplished by PDG Richard Stump, an associate club member.
PDG Stump called the proposed officers forward and briefly defined their duties asking each one if they would promise to accomplish those duties to the best of their ability. All said they would, so they will serve.
Club president PDG Bob Argot, who brought the Lion of the Year award to the attention to the club previously, then shared why he chose the person he chose to be the first recipient of the club’s Lion of the Year Award. Choosing the honoree became a dilemma for him, he explained.
“When trying to choose the single person for the club’s first Lion of the Year award it became obvious that two people were almost equal in what they had done for the club in the last year,” he said.
So he chose two and had the plaque recognizing their selection engraved with both names. The honorees: Carl and Shirley Berger.
“He has been treasurer for numerous years; she has been secretary for fewer years but like her husband continues to be dedicated to the task,” said Argot. “Together they do most of the shopping for the club’s line dances. When it is time to clean out the park kitchen for the chicken barbecue or a club picnic, both are right at the head of the pack. Carl is one of the chief cooks for the line dances and Shirley a more than capable helper. She often is the one who provides soup or dessert for these events.”
“When it comes to getting people to come out to the chicken barbecues, Shirley generally contacts more people than any other club member,” Argot continued. “She does the same thing to inform seniors of Upper Bern Township of the annual Thanksgiving dinner. With their experience in Lionism, they are able to advise others to the duties of Lions and the tasks necessary for one to be a productive part of the club. Carl has his thumb on the financial figures of the club and constantly makes others aware of the financial picture. Shirley provides the agenda for meetings and keeps track of both major and minor calendar events.”
Both have been loyal and outstanding members for years, with Carl becoming a Lion in 1975 and Shirley in 2009. They are committed to the Lions motto, “We serve.”
Their collective reaction to the surprise of being honored and recognized for their involvement is, “We didn’t expect it. We had no idea…” Until club president Argot mentioned two who have done so much work for and at the dances, and a round of club members’ applause underlined the choice of the first Lion of the Year, multiplied by two who serve so much and in so many ways.