Lions Club Marks 40th Anniversary in Darien

While some organizations experience a drop in membership through the years, it’s been just the opposite for the Darien Lions Club, which marks its 40th anniversary Wednesday.

“It’s gotten bigger,” said Gene Kolling, the club’s first president.

The organization, which was founded in Darien in 1971 by 12 local residents, including Kolling, is currently made up of about 150 members. The club has averaged about 10 new members annually for the past three years.

“That’s unusual for service organizations in general,” said Lion Brian Kiefer, current president.

Kiefer chalks up the club’s popularity to “Darien being a great community where people enjoy helping other people.”

“We all feel pretty darn fortunate and like to give back,” he said. “And even more than that, I think we just enjoy each other and everything we do, and that shows and makes people want to become a part of it.”

And though the club has changed somewhat since its inception, “it’s still the same program we initiated,” Kolling said.

Club members plan to have a 40th anniversary-themed float in this year’s Fourth of July parade.

Members will also celebrate among themselves with a group outing to a White Sox game in June.

The purpose of the Darien Lions Club, consistent with the Lions Clubs International charter, is to raise funds for the needy. Events sponsored by the Darien Lions Club include the Fourth of July parade, Darien Fest corn and beverage tents, the Halloween party at Sportsplex, the Candy Day fundraiser, and the Pancake Breakfast. The club also runs several local activities to cover administrative costs, including a steak fry and an annual golf outing.

In a typical program year the Lions Club spends approximately $150,000 on events and donations to several causes and organizations in Darien and nearby communities.

The Lions Club also annually hosts a community blood drive and delivers holiday food baskets to more than 200 needy families.

The club has earned bragging rights by leading all Illinois Lions Clubs in fundraising from Candy Day for nearly 20 years, enabling them to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Lions of Illinois Foundation and send dozens of hearing and sight-impaired children to Camp Lions during the summer.

In the past decade, the Darien Lions Foundation was established. The not-for-profit organization raises funds to ensure the presence of the club in Darien for the foreseeable future.

Besides Kolling, other charter members who are still active in the Dariens Lions Club include Bob McDonnell, Harold Oban, Tom Pankow and Kris Sant.

“These five men have both a lot to look back at and a lot to be proud of,” said fellow member Ralph Beardsley. “From little acorns do mighty trees grow.”

Kiefer encourages more people to get involved with the Lions Club.

“Our mindset is one of doing good but also having fun while we’re doing it,” he said.