Konocti Lioness celebrates a new beginning as Konocti Women’s Service Club
- DOROTHY DE LOPE
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A new organization, the Konocti Women’s Service Club, has formed to continue the work that has been done for more than 40 years by the Konocti Lioness Club.
In the 1920s, service clubs called Ladies Auxiliary were partners in service with Lions Clubs.
By 1949 there were auxiliary clubs forming throughout the world and dedicating themselves to volunteering.
In 1975, the international body that governs the Lions Clubs formally recognized Ladies Auxiliaries as Lioness Clubs. By 1985, 5,300 Lioness Clubs were active in 92 countries with membership totaling 139,412.
In the shadow of Mount Konocti in Lake County, the Konocti Lioness Club was formed in 1980 and its members have served their community as dedicated Lionesses for 40 years with their motto of “For Kids’ Sake.”
In 1992 the international body that governs Lioness Clubs decided they could no longer support the Lioness Program as it was. Individual Lioness Clubs could continue as a service program with their local Lions Club still maintaining a Lion liaison officer.
Consequently, in 2018, that same governing body announced the end of the Lioness Program as it was known, dissolving all ties to the program effective June 30, 2021.
Across the globe, Lioness clubs have chosen to leave the international body in favor of their own programs and will launch under new names and banners.
That resulted in a new beginning.
In 2021, many of the former Lioness Clubs aligned to form the Global Service Organization, a global community of service clubs. Their goal is to continue the service the Lioness Clubs began creating a platform that will allow members to build a global service community and continue serving for many years to come.
The Konocti Lioness Club has reorganized to become the Konocti Women’s Service Club, a proud independent service club, looking forward to serving the Lake County community with the same motto, “For Kids’ Sake.”
All of the money raised goes to charities that support at-risk children.
The purpose of their club is to provide opportunities for women to unite in friendship and in mutual understanding, and to guide, teach and reach the children of our community.
Their goal is to give service and to be philanthropic with their money to support youth with dignity and motivation.
Over the last five years, the club has given high school scholarships totaling $15,000 and has supported their local schools with supplies.
They partnered with Flotilla 88 of Lake County to provide youngsters life jackets and have provided and staffed three summer day camps for elementary age children.
The Konocti Women’s Service Club has been supported recently by the folks at Dream of a Better World, whose generosity helped the club to provide Christmas gifts to individuals who had fallen on hard times in December of 2020.
Now, the club is glad to be on the move and happy to be a part of the worldwide community of the Global Service Organization.
Konocti Women’s Service Club members are fun, strong and energized to do good for their community. They are also looking forward to meeting other service clubs throughout the world.
Dorothy De Lope is a member of the new Konocti Women’s Service Club.