SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 7005
By Yager
A RESOLUTION to recognize the Harriman Lions Club on the occasion of its seventy-fifth anniversary.
WHEREAS, the Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization,
with more than 1.4 million members in over 48,000 clubs in over 800 districts across more than
200 countries and geographic areas around the world who contribute to their local communities;
and WHEREAS, inspired by their motto, "We Serve," Lions provide assistance to persons who are blind and visually impaired, support our youth, provide disaster relief, and meet humanitarian needs; and WHEREAS, each club is an integral component in the success of Lions Clubs International, and none more than the Harriman Lions Club, which celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary this year; and WHEREAS, the Harriman Lions Club was chartered on November 26, 1948, and boasted an initial membership of forty-three individuals, with Tom Sain, a plant manager for Harriman Hosiery Mill, serving as the first president with a celebratory banquet held on
December 13, 1948, at the Harriman Hotel; and WHEREAS, the group undertook its first major project in 1949, constructing a county park along US 70, which is known today as Roane County Park; the hugely successful endeavor was turned over to Roane County government in the early 1950s; and WHEREAS, committed to providing vision assistance for those less fortunate in Roane County, the Harriman Lions Club has funded thousands of eye exams and glasses for local residents over the past seventy-five years; and SJR7005
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WHEREAS, a major club project includes vision screenings for every kindergarten class in each elementary school in Roane County through a partnership with Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital to detect early potential vision issues; and WHEREAS, the Harriman Lions Club has recycled thousands of used glasses and sent pairs of glasses with missionaries for use in third world countries, using proceeds from recycled glasses for Blind Industries and other vision-related projects; and WHEREAS, other ventures include annual contributions to Leader Dogs for the Blind,
college scholarships for Harriman High School students, and philanthropic endeavors such as
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, the East Tennessee Children's Hospital, and the restoration of Harriman Hall; and WHEREAS, today, the Harriman Lions Club has twenty-three members from various backgrounds that includes the following officers: Will Burgess, president; Carie Gecelosky,
secretary; Pat Whitman, treasurer; Andy Gecelosky, vision chair; and Dr. A. Julian Ahler, club membership; meeting monthly, the Harriman Lions Club's main fundraiser is its annual
"America's Greatest Pancake Breakfast"; and WHEREAS, over the seven and one-half decades of its existence, the club has done untold good in the lives of the residents of Harriman, taking great pride in serving their friends and neighbors; and WHEREAS, through their unwavering dedication and commitment to excellence, the members of the Harriman Lions Club have proven themselves to be Tennesseans of the highest order, and it is most fitting that we honor them on this special occasion; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, that we commend the members and leadership of the
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Harriman Lions Club on the celebration of the club's seventy-fifth anniversary and extend to
them our best wishes for every continued success.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear without House or Senate designation.
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