Breaking a long-time tradition since 1948, the Jacksonville Lions Club installed Jacksonville resident Jo Smith as their newest club member. According to club President Bill Hanlan, “It’s about time!”

Jo has long been a “Lion at Heart” volunteering at the Southern Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Center for 6 years as chairperson of the annual “Bling Fling,” a used jewelry sale held every year in April. “The Lions mission of helping people with vision and hearing assistance is what attracted me to this organization…also, the fact that the Lions are a nongovernmental agency,” states Smith.

The club supports Jacksonville Club area youth events like the annual children’s Spelling Bee and Flags for First Graders at Jacksonville Elementary School. They also provide scholarships to area college-bound students.

The Jacksonville Lions Club is a member of Lions Clubs International which was founded in 1917 and is the largest service organization in the world. The club meets at 6:30pm on the first and third Monday of every month at Black Bear Diner on Barnett Road in Medford. For more information call Lion Karl Eddings at 541-944-2749 or Lion Bill Branham at 541-773-4367.