Service organizations have Colorado Springs roots that run deep. The Downtown Lions Club was one of the organization’s first chapters, the Rotary Club was the 218th formed nationwide and Elks Lodge No. 309 celebrates its 128th anniversary on July 31.
Downtown Lions Club
The clubs were established in 1917, and Colorado Springs had a charter. Scott Hente, past club president and former City Council, has some of the Downtown Lions Club history.
America entered World War I in April 1917, and 2.8 million were drafted into the armed forces, including some associated with the Lions Club. The organization was disbanded and reformed in the early 1920s.
In 1925, Helen Keller — a blind American author and disability rights advocate — addressed a Lions International convention in Ohio.
“She challenged the Lions in attendance to be Knights of the Blind,” Hente said. “Ever since then, vision assistance and assistance for sight have been a major focus.”
Lions now sponsor eye exams and eyeglasses for Colorado Springs children who can’t afford them.
While the organization is best known for fighting blindness, members also volunteer for community projects, feed the hungry and help seniors and the disabled.
Several Pikes Peak region Lions Clubs have worked together to sponsor Colorado Lions Camp, north of Woodland Park, since the 1960s.
The camp allows children and adults with disabilities to experience a week of camping and activities.
“You’d like to think you are having an impact on these people’s lives,” Hente said.
The Lions also sponsor a family in need each year to make sure they have a Christmas morning surrounded by gifts.
“It is a small way to give back,” Hente said. “You don’t do it for recognition. You do it because it is the right thing to do.”
Socialization is another important part of the club, which meets for lunch on the third Tuesday of the month at Mackenzie’s Chop House at 12:15 p.m. The club has about 50 members, with about half attending the latest luncheon, Hente said.
The club is slowly coming back after being shut down for much of the past 18 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hente said the club is having a hard time recruiting younger members but is hopeful more will join.
“If you feel a desire to work with your community, to assist those who are less fortunate than you, particularly if you have an interest in sight-related activities … we are a great organization to join,” he said.
Rotary Club of Colorado Springs
The Rotary Club of Colorado Springs was established on May 1, 1916, as the Rotary Club of the Pikes Peak Region. It was the 218th affiliated rotary club in the nation.
Dennis Shoemaker, past club president and current director of their community service fund, shared some of the rotary club’s history.
In late 1915, Francis Bumstead, a downtown heating and plumbing contractor voiced his interest in starting a club after attending a Rotary Club meeting in Denver.
The club of roughly 135 members, whose motto is “Service Above Self,” has a major fundraiser every year at which they auction off colorfully painted metal butterflies. About half of the proceeds go to Colorado Springs School District 11 to help advance art, science, technology, engineering, and math programs.
Some of the funding has gone to purchasing 3D printers and robots, supporting art and drama programs, and providing scholarships to high school seniors. This year, the club provided ten $1,000 scholarships.
Butterflies from the FLIGHT project can be seen at numerous sites throughout town. In January, the club donated $60,000 to the school district. The next butterflies will be unveiled at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 outside the Pioneers Museum on Tejon Street. The auction is scheduled for Sept. 25. Find more information at csflight.org.
The other half of the money raised goes to Rotary charitable and service projects.
The club meets for lunch at 12:15 p.m. each Friday at the Antlers Hilton Hotel.
“Come down and meet with us on a Friday and see what we’re all about,” Shoemaker said. “We’ll even buy you your first lunch.”
B.P.O. Elks Lodge #309
The lodge was established on July 31, 1894 — 127 years ago this next week. It was named Elks Lodge #309 in 1896.
Jerry Minson, the previous exalted ruler, shared some of the lodge’s history including its recent substantial growth.
Prior to the pandemic, membership was growing by “leaps and bounds,” and after weathering the pandemic, is making a comeback in much of the country as the coronavirus’ delta variant spreads, membership continues to grow.
“We are starting to get busy again but still have to be mindful and do the right thing for our members and our community,” Minson said. “I think people are done and just need something to do.”
A paid membership is at about $1,200, Minson said.
The lodge has a youth committee, a pool, and other youth activities that are attracting entire families to become members.
“I found the perfect home joining Elks,” Minson said. “There is tremendous satisfaction to be able to see what we do.”
The Elks Lodge has an annual fundraiser planned for late August called Tiki Time Tailgate. Money raised from the event goes to the Red Wagon Campaign at Children’s Hospital Colorado Springs. The organization has raised nearly $50,000 for the program in its first three years.
Red wagons are positioned at the entrance to the hospital and allow children a fun way to move around a space that could feel scary.
Lodge members meet the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge on Nevada Avenue except in August when they meet the third Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“Elks care, Elks share,” Minson said. “It is pretty direct and to the point. If you really want to get involved, join.”
