Local Lions Club is fastest-growing

The Palmer Lions Club, about 70 members strong, was recently recognized as being the fastest growing club in Alaska, which helped it earn the title as Alaska's Lions Club of the Year. Club members volunteer in activities around the Valley and donate money to help with several causes. A recent project helped renovate a van with a wheelchair lift for use by the Palmer Senior Center, to help with area senior citizens' transportation needs.

The van was donated by a Valley family, but needed a new motor and the chair lift needed to be updated. The Lions donated $6,350, about one-third the money needed to install a new diesel engine and fix the chair lift.

Palmer Senior Center has about 500 members, many of whom use the 13 vans available as transportation to doctor appointments, shopping and other activities in the Valley and in Anchorage. Six of the vans have wheel-chair lifts -- three with ramps and three with side lifts.

Six to seven vans regularly cover 3,000 square miles, taking seniors to Palmer Senior Center's Adult Day Services center. According to information from the club, about 17,000 miles were covered in October. More than 1,700 rides were given, 344 of which, or 25 to 30 a day, were rides for wheelchair occupants. The organization is a non-profit geared to helping seniors over the age of 60. Thirteen people volunteer as drivers, including three members of the Palmer Lions' Club -- Monty Hotchkiss, Bob Shoemaker and Jerry Arthur.

The Lions Club has, in the past, contributed to other center operations, including the purchase of chairs and tables and an amplified speaker system.