Campbell University Lions Club receives charter

     The Campbell University Lions Club was chartered on Thursday, Sept. 7. The club is the second of two student Lions clubs that currently exist in North Carolina.
    Members from the Buies Creek, Lillington, Fayetteville Massey Hill, Fayetteville, Sejong, Hamlet, Pinehurst and Vass Lions clubs were present for the charter ceremony, which took place in the J.A. Campbell House. The guest speaker was Dr. Mark Hammond, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Campbell University. Past Lions International Director Sid Scruggs also addressed the club on the Lions’ mission of service to the community.
     “Student clubs provide an opportunity to learn from service programs and also to have a little fun along the way,” said member Phillip Melvin, former dean of Students Life at Campbell.
     At the conclusion of the program, Greene presented Lion Lin Coker, the club’s faculty advisor, with an extension award for his work in establishing the Campbell chapter. Dr. Michael Simmons of Buies Creek First Baptist Church gave the invocation and benediction.
     The Lions Club International was founded in Chicago, Ill. in 1917. There are currently 1.4 million Lions clubs with chapters worldwide. The Lion’s motto is “We serve.” Each chapter seeks to meet the particular needs of its surrounding community through humanitarian service programs and projects.
     Each year, the local Lions clubs support a variety of activities geared towards supporting the mission of the blind and hearing impaired. The Lions sponsor the vision van that comes to Buies Creek to provide free eye screening exams for the public and also provide support for Camp Dogwood on Lake Norman, which is a service and recreational facility for the blind and hearing impaired.