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By Elisabeth Altamirano-Smith/ Community Columnist

The Clanton Daytime Lions Club recently elected Renee Green to serve as club president. Green is the local club’s first female president since the charter began in 1947. She is a Clanton native and works as a financial advisor for Edward Jones Investments.

Green said she enjoys the club fellowship and the opportunity to serve the community in humanitarian projects.

“Our club members are made up of men and women from a wide range of age groups and occupations,” Green said. “It is nice to come together and help our community while getting to know others that you might not ever have the opportunity to know.”

The Clanton Lions Club’s local mission is to provide quality affordable eye care for the community and world. Each year, the peach pageant, peach auction and peach festivities are hosted by the Lions Club as a fundraiser to provide affordable and/or free eye care.

“This year, fundraising has been a difficult task because of the virus. That has affected our fundraising and the amount we give to others,” said Green. “Each year, we use the money from things like selling ads in the pageant program to help fund our annual projects.”

In addition to providing local eye care, the Clanton organization helps financially support Alabama Eye Bank, Read Across America, Chilton DHR, Alabama Sight, Chilton United Way, Chilton/Clanton Public Library, Chilton YMCA Kids Campaign, Chilton Special Olympics and many other local and international projects.

“We didn’t ask businesses to buy an ad this year because business owners are hurting, too,” said Green. “However, we have received some donations anyway, and we are grateful for them. We are still asking people in the community to donate their old eye glasses. We will refurbish the lens and frames and then they are redistributed to new people who are in need.”

Green and other club members have upcoming plans to discuss new ideas for community fundraising that will work despite the challenges that COVID-19 presents.

“We are in the early plans of talking about new ways to fundraise so that we can continue to support these important projects,” Green said.

Green welcomes new applicants for membership. The club meets every Friday at noon at Kountry Kitchen Restaurant, located at 1759 County Road 29 in Clanton.