Dover Lions Club celebrates their 80th anniversary
Eric Botdorf, treasurer, left; Mary Ellen Sherer, secretary; Scott Derr, president; rear, Brian Botdorf, second vice president; and Bill Cozart, first vice president.
Dover Lions Club will hold an 80th anniversary celebration on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. at Dutch Valley Restaurant, 1343 Old Route 39, Sugarcreek. A family-style dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $30 per person or $60 per couple. Reservations must be made by Dec. 1 and sent to Lion Eric Botdorf, P.O. Box 236, Dover, OH 44622.
The guest speaker will be past International Director Ron Keller from the Millersport Lions Club. The Lions of Ohio are recognized around the world for their organization and leadership.
In October 1944, six members of the New Philadelphia Lions Club who resided in Dover thought Dover should have its own Lions Club, The six members were Durward Duty, Harold Hertzig, J. Floyd Lewis, Walter Brewer, Clarence Rouche and Dan Tolon. The New Philadelphia club sponsored the club. The first meeting was held at the YMCA in Dover. The officers were Dan Tolon, president; Walter Brewer, first vice president; JF Lewis, second vice president; and Durward Duty, third vice president and secretary.
In 1945 the first membership drive was held. Eleven new members were recruited, which brought the membership to 37. The membership grew to 54, and in 1955 Bill Hawk and Gene Grim, co-membership chairman, recruited 21 new members.
During the early days, a Dandylions Club, no longer active, was organized, and many of the wives joined the club. They supported the club by holding rummage sales and paper drives, handled downtown spaces on Rose Day and many other events, and donated all the proceeds to the Lions for the Blind Aid Fund.
The Blind Aid program was one of the reasons for establishing the club to help purchase glasses for adults and children for those who were in need or others on medication. It sponsored glaucoma clinics and other testing for their eyes and even drove elderly residents to Cleveland and Columbus hospitals.
Because the request for help to purchase eye glasses has diminished, they have funded 107 eye cases over 15 years and awarded 40 scholarships of about $15,000 over the past 15 years. Rose Day continues to be a major fundraiser for the club. They sell about 400 dozen annually. They continue to sponsor the Halloween Parade and pass out about 30 gallons of hot chocolate each year during the Christmas Parade.
For many years the club has supported Camp Echoing Hills. Members have traveled to work on needed projects such as painting/straining at least five buildings, have helped with the construction of five cabins and building a dining area, and have poured concrete.
They began a recycling program in 2022. This year is the 35th year for sponsoring the Halloween Parade held Oct. 30. The club began supporting pediatric cancer research and has presented books to each of the kindergarten students at Dover City Schools and Tuscarawas Central Catholic Elementary for the past 13 years.
The current officers are Scott Derr, president; Bill Cozart, first vice president; Brian Botdorf, second vice president; Mary Ellen Sherer, secretary and district governor; and Eric Botdorf, treasurer.
“We currently have 31 members and are always looking for additional members to join the club. We look forward to continue to serve the citizens of Dover,” Mary Ellen Sherer said.