Since The Carrollton Lions Club was chartered in 1933, the local Lions have followed the Lions motto, "We Serve." Those two words have guided the club well and our community has benefited not only through sight preservation efforts, but also scholarships, support of youth activities and local recreation projects.
In that charter year, the club presented its first scholarship, graded four tennis courts for West Georgia College, sponsored an anti-malaria campaign in Carrollton Schools, conducted a survey of blind people in the area and furnished them with white canes, sponsored a college basketball game, purchased new furniture for the Carrollton Clinic, put on a fish fry with another civic club, "engaged in a baseball game with other service club teams and placed the receipts in a fund for developing and equipping a children's playground." That first year set the example for the years which have followed.
It was largely due to the efforts of the Carrollton Lions Club that the Carrollton High School Band was formed in 1948. The Club held various fund raising events to help raise funds for band instruments and equipment and to subsidize the salary for the school's first director, John Dilliard. Besides raising money for the school band in the formative years, they sent the band to the Lions International convention in 1960.
Ever since those first tennis courts at WGC and that first local playground fund, the Carrollton Lions Club has continued to not only raise money, but volunteer time to work on athletic fields and recreation areas in Carrollton. In the early 1960s, Carrollton Lions joined other civic clubs in creating facilities for the community.
Where other local entities and charities needed assistance, the Lions have been there to help. The Lions gave two air conditioners to Tanner Hospital in the 1950s and continued over the years to support various needs of the hospital.
Some of the projects in the Carrollton Lions' history spoke of the times. They also joined the District Lions move for a law to compel livestock owners to keep cattle off the highways (1938-39). The club sent cigarettes to the troops in World War II and donations of clothes and shoes to Korea in 1951. They also bought war bonds. The Lions contributed to the polio drives (1950's).
The largest local project undertaken by the the Carrollton Lions in recent years, especially from a financial commitment, was for the new playground located at the City Park on the corner of North Park and Spring Streets. The initial idea to provide a universally accessible playground that could be used by disabled and able-bodied children was brought to the club in 2005 by Lion Jason Harden.
The Carrollton Lions Club and individual Lions contributed both financially and through their work efforts in assembling the playground equipment. The Carrollton Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department provided the playground site, and the landscape development. Contributions from the Carrollton Lions Club and individual Lion members approximated $23,000. A grant was received from the State of Georgia in the amount of $20,000. Other financial contributions came from a variety of sources including other civic clubs, foundations, businesses and individuals. Lions Clubs International Foundation was a major contributor to the extent of $60,563. In all, there were approximately one hundred and fifty contributors for construction of this playground named "Lions Safari Park".
The photo below is of two long-term members of the Carrollton Lions Club, Doyle and Rebecca Akins.
