by Peter Bodley
Managing editor

Two of the three Lions clubs in Coon Rapids have merged.

The Coon Rapids Cardinal Lions Club, chartered in June 2004, disbanded Feb. 1 and a resolution merging the club with the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club was approved by that organization Feb. 3.

As its final action, three members of the Coon Rapids Cardinal Lions Club went to the Coon Rapids City Council meeting Feb. 3 to present Coon Rapids Mayor Tim Howe with a check for $3,000 as a donation to the annual 4th of July fireworks display in Coon Rapids.

The club approached the Coon Rapids Fire Department, which shoots off the July 4 fireworks, wishing to donate the $3,000 toward the display, according to Fire Chief John Piper.

“The fire department gratefully accepts the donation,” Piper said.

The decision to disband the Coon Rapids Cardinal Lions Club was some months in the making, according to Tim Farmer, its final president.

Because of deaths of some members, job changes and health issues among some of its older members, the club was down to 12 active members, Farmer said.

And that made it difficult to staff its community service projects, he said.

In its years of existence, the club has been involved in the 4th of July celebration, presented monthly bingo sessions for residents of Park River Estates Care Center and been very active in Rise Inc. programs, to name a few, Farmer said.

“It became too hard to do our programs with such a small number of active members,” he said.

But Coon Rapids Cardinal Lions Club members believe in the principles of the International Association of Lions Clubs, wanted to remain active in Lionism and approached the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club with a view to merging, according to Farmer.

“We have the same philosophy and support some of the same programs,” Farmer said.

The merger will make the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club stronger and enable it to be more active in the community, he said.

With the merger and the disbanding of the club, Coon Rapids Cardinal Lions Club members are now members of the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club and the remaining funds in its administrative and general accounts have been transferred to the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club treasury.

According to a resolution passed Feb. 3 by the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club, “The members of the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club support the merging of the two clubs and welcome members of the former Coon Rapids Cardinal Lions Club into our club.”

The Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club was formed in 2007 and now has more than 40 members.

The late Keith Howard spearheaded the formation of the Coon Rapids Cardinal Lions Club in 2004 and was its first president.

“The club was near and dear to Keith’s heart and I am pleased that members of the club will continue to serve the city,” said Howe.

“The club has done some great things and made a great contribution to the city, and its members will continue to do that as members of the Coon Rapids North Star Lions Club.”

The other Lions organization in the Coon Rapids, the Coon Rapids Lions Club is also the oldest in the city, having been formed in 1955.

The International Association of Lions Clubs has a worldwide membership of 1.35 million members in more than 45,000 clubs located in over 200 countries or geographical regions.

Peter Bodley is at peter.bodley@ecm-inc.com