Rotary, Lions, others looking to bring in new blood

They are some of the oldest service groups in the country, clubs that community leaders join almost as a matter of course.

But the membership in Lions Club International, Rotary International and National Ambucs Inc. is getting older in area cities, just as it is nationwide.

According to the Rotary International website, only 2 percent of Rotarians nationally were under 30 in 2011, and only 11 percent were under 40. Ambucs, another major service group in Grapevine, also tends to have middle-aged and older members.

Clubs want to thwart that trend.

Lions Club

"Over the years we have been graying a little bit," said Erik Wulfers, past president of the Southlake Lions Club. "I think we've seen clearly that the general average age of membership was increasing, so there is a strong push to get more, younger people involved."

Founded in 1917, Lions Clubs International focuses on eye care. The work changes lives, Wulfers said.

"We give them these eye tests and give them the right type of glasses so a whole new world opens up," he said. "Children that are mediocre in performance suddenly became top performers in their class."

The Southlake club, chartered in 1986, has about 25 members ranging in age from about 25 to 75. The Lions also have clubs in Colleyville and Grapevine.

Two 16-year-old students at Southlake's Carroll High School have been trying to start a Leo Club, the Lions' group geared toward youth.

The club also is increasing its social media presence, making a bigger effort to use Facebook to reach a younger audience, Wulfers said.

Rotary International

The Grapevine Rotary Club also tries to draw younger members and has had Interact groups for youth at Grapevine and Colleyville Heritage high schools.

"You get young people that get a benefit from it, then go on to become Rotarians," said Duff O'Dell, Grapevine Rotary Club president.

Rotary Club also has Rotary Youth Leadership Awards with activities such as a mock city council dealing with real community issues.

Formed in 1905, Rotary International provides scholarships and other services, O'Dell said.

The Grapevine Rotary Club has more than 90 members in their 20s to 80s. Southlake and Colleyville also have Rotary Clubs.

The Grapevine group has raised money for wheelchairs in Mexico and safe drinking water in Haiti.

Locally, it has provided supplies and support for the Special Olympics and it raises money to provide $20,000 to $30,000 annually in scholarships.

"We host an awards luncheon for the Special Olympics athletes, for the local athletes, in May, and it makes my year to go to that," O'Dell said. " It's very touching and very moving."

National Ambucs Inc.

Grapevine has two separate Ambucs chapters: the all-male Grapevine Ambucs and the Grapevine Heritage Ambucs, which began as an all-female group but became co-ed about a year and a half ago.

Ambucs was started in 1919. The group focuses on community service; providing AmTrykes, tricycles that can be propelled by hands or feet; giving scholarships to therapists; and building ramps at homes for access.

Both have members ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s.

Grapevine usually has about 100 members, Grapevine Heritage about 65.

The Grapevine chapter has given away more than 100 AmTrykes — which can cost $500 to $800 — this year, said Ben Flanagan, Grapevine Ambucs president.

The two groups collaborated with each other as well as other local civic groups to provide a van that could hold two wheelchairs to a single mother from Euless who has two teenagers with cerebral palsy, said Flanagan and Misty Corbett, Grapevine Heritage Ambucs president.

Getting involved

Lions Club

• Cost: In Southlake, $100 per year for the worldwide club plus $100 yearly donation for the group's breakfasts.
• Meetings: Every first and third Friday in the DPS Community Room, 600 State St., Southlake.
• Projects: A big one recently was raising money for a guide dog for Dallas Wiens, the Dallas-Fort Worth area man who received a full face transplant after his face was burned off in a construction accident.
• Information: Visit lionsclub.org.

Rotary Club

• Cost: A $75 initiation fee and $18 per month dues.
• Meetings: weekly at 11:45 a.m. Wednesdays at 308 S. Main St. in Grapevine.
• Projects: locally, Special Olympics, Computers for Kids and providing scholarships
• Information: Visit rotary.org.

Ambucs

• Cost: For Grapevine chapter, $25 registration fee and $125 quarterly dues. For Grapevine Heritage chapter, $10 admission fee and dues of $60 quarterly.
• Meetings: Grapevine chapter – weekly at 11 a.m. Tuesdays at 432 Main St. in Grapevine. Grapevine Heritage chapter – every fourth Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at 210 N. Main St. in Grapevine.
• Projects: giving AmTrykes; providing scholarships; building ramps.
• Information: Visit ambucs.org

More area service clubs

A few of the other major service clubs:

• Kiwanis International, 1400 Byron Nelson Parkway, Southlake, sites.kiwanis.org
• Knights of Columbus, 961 Wildwood Lane, Grapevine, kofcknights.org/CouncilSite/?CNO=7099
• The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, 909 Bushong Road, Grapevine, www.elks.org