COOK- Over the past five decades, there are few things in Cook that haven’t been touched by the caring hearts and hands of the Cook Lions Club, and members and invited guests gathered on Tuesday at the Cook VFW to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary.
Club President Steve Kajala served as master of ceremonies for the event, which included a social hour and buffet banquet, special presentations, club awards and new member initiation.
While a couple of the original 25 charter members from the club’s formation on Sept. 28, 1973 are still alive, they weren’t able to attend, but the evening still featured a special tie-in to that day, the original sponsor of the local club, 92-year-old Virgina Lions Club member Dom Elioff.
“I can see why you have 64 members here, you start recruiting young here,” Elioff said, acknowledging the evening’s youngest attendee, three-month-old Sutton Stone, a comment that evoked hearty laughter from the crowd.
Elioff said he wasn’t certain they’d be able to find the required 21 members to start the club in a town the size of Cook, but within two days 25 members were recruited for the first meeting at the old Crescent restaurant.
“I’m so happy with what the Cook Lions have done,” Elioff said. “We talk about it and talk about it. They made me look good.”
Elioff got a huge reaction with one of his subsequent comments.
“I think that the greatest thing that has happened other than getting Cook in the Lions Club was when it was mandated that Lions International had to take in ladies,” he said. “When that hit Virginia we had 50 members or so and we lost about half of our membership, and a lot of other clubs did likewise. But you ladies have done a yeoman’s job.”
Kajala read a list of nearly 40 different activites the Lions Club has done over the years to support the Cook community, and other members were quick to chime in with several he hadn’t mentioned. A few of the highlights were:
Cook Lions Flag Park.
Annual scholarships for students at Cook and North Woods high schools.
Annual pancake breakfasts and fish/smelt fries.
Training scholarships for fire and ambulance personnel.
Eyeglass collection and vision screening for children.
Donations to Cook Hospital for medical devices.
Operating the annual “Million Dollar Garage Sale” that raised over $100,000 for donations and scholarships.
Annual Halloween and Easter celebrations.
Meals on wheels and grocery delivery to the homebound.
Financial support for school field trips, academics, arts, and sports teams.
Buddy backpacks.
Cook Mayor Harold Johnston shared his thoughts about the Lions’ contributions.
“I think it goes without saying, and it was just mentioned all the things the Lions do, even things I didn’t know that you do,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thing because you have stayed true to your principles for 50 years. I have never heard anything bad about the Lions, and I hope that you will continue for the next 50 years. Thank you very much from the community, thank you very much from myself, and good luck in the future.”
Member Ron Maki reviewed all of the places the club has called home over the years and shared a few humorous historical anecdotes.
Kajala then took the audience on a trip back through time with a slide show culled from over 640 images submitted by members that was created by Dede Doi. A special in memoriam section recognized club members who have passed away, and that portion of the show drew scattered applause as different faces appeared on the screen.
Among the invited guests were four Lions district-level officers, including immediate past district governor Kathryn Smith, first vice district governor Bob Woodke, district governor Jessica Minske, and past district committee chair Bert Nelson.
Minske gave a presentation in which she commended the club while challenging members to reflect on their commitment and passion for service and bring new members into the fold.
“This is super exciting,” she said. “You have an amazing club for the size of your town, honestly, it’s amazing.”
Minske played a video of a special message from Lions International President Patti Hill recognizing the clubs anniversary, and later read a written commendation from Hill as well.
Nelson was the featured speaker of the evening, and he encouraged and entertained members with a talk about becoming “super Lions.” A wrinkle in his presentation that drew a great deal of laughter from the crowd was the moment he unexpectedly removed his suit jacket and tie and unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a purple t-shirt emblazoned with a Superman-style logo featuring a large ‘L’. He completed the transformation to Lions superhero by donning a golden cape.
The event also included the induction of several new club members and the presentation of awards. Awards and recipients included:
Lion of the Year – Dede Doi.
President’s Award – Colette Huisenga.
Melvin Jones Fellowship – Jody Refsdal and Danny Brinker.
International Presidents Award – Ron Maki and Bob Ulseth.