New officers of the Gaffney Lions Club were installed June 23 by District 32A Governor Joe Lark of Inman. Pictured (l-r) are Dewitt McCraw, director; Jackie Childers, first vice president and membership chairman; Michael Vassey, president; District Governor Lark; Craig Lowry, secretary; Fender Brown, treasurer; and Warren Bonner, director. Absent when the photo was taken were Wilson Truluck, director and Lion Tamer/Tail Twister, and Phillip Martin, director. District Governor Joe Lark of Inman installed new officers of the Gaffney Lions Club at a special banquet June 23 at Kelly's Steakhouse. The banquet also celebrated the club's 80th anniversary, having been chartered by Lions International on April 2, 1929.

Michael Vassey, finance director for Cherokee County, was installed as president. Jackie Childers, Wal-Mart Vision Center manager, was installed as first vice president. Craig Lowry, secretary, Fender Brown, treasurer, and Wilson Truluck, Lion Tamer / Tail Twister, remain in their positions. Warren Bonner, Dewitt McCraw, Truluck and Phillip Martin make up the board of directors.

Lions International was founded in Chicago in 1917. In 1925, at the challenge of Helen Keller, the association agreed to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness." Since that time, Lions have committed themselves in service to the blind and visually impaired. Lions International is now the world's largest service organization with clubs in more than 200 countries around the globe.

The Gaffney Lions Club fulfills its commitment by raising funds through the sale of candy, brooms, mops and listings in a birthday calendar. Proceeds from these sales go to buy glasses for the needy, help fund research through the Storm Eye Institute, assists Leader Dog International in training dogs for the blind and supports South Carolina Lions in assisting needy persons with cataract surgery.

The club meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month at the Sagebrush Steakhouse.