The Whitehall (14-K) Lions Club was organized as the Fullerton Lions Club on March 19, 1951, by special representative E.G. Moyer and sponsored by the Western Lehigh Lions Club. The official charter was issued on May 5, 1951.
The first recorded projects began in 1952, with the placement of Lions Club information signs, the co-sponsoring of the Community Chest Drive, with the Whitehall Exchange Club, construction of a cinder path on Fullerton Avenue and luminous tape placed on bikes for Fullerton children. Eggs were donated to the Legion community egg hunt. An ambulance committee was appointed to form a community ambulance corps. Service began in 1954 with a second-hand vehicle, which was succeeded by new vehicles in 1958 and 1964. Provision of the services was transferred to the Whitehall Emergency Squad in 1965. Lions served as volunteer crossing guards on Fullerton Avenue.
In November of 1953, a hospital equipment loan service was established. Wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, canes, crutches, etc. have been provided. This equipment donation and sharing program continues to grow in number and use.
Lion Walter G. Walter became our Zone Chairman in 1955 and the club sponsored a rally for the Fullerton Boy Scouts.
Together with the Whitehall Exchange Club, the Club co-sponsored the first All-Sports Banquet at the Whitehall-Coplay School District. The first of many contributions to the Lehigh County Blind Association (camper-ships, braille typewriters, bus service, etc.) were made. We contributed to the founding of the Pennsylvania Northeast Eye Bank Society, with funds and 25 eye donor pledges.
Many individual projects for the visually handicapped have been undertaken – the furnishing of an artificial eye, an enlarger piece of equipment, eyeglasses for needy persons, pennies for eye research, Beacon Lodge, Sargent Seymor program in schools, collection of used eyeglasses and supporting the blind bowlers association.
Lions labor and funds constructed an ice-skating rink at the Fullerton Memorial Playground in 1957. Annual scholarship awards were established at Central Catholic High School and Whitehall-Coplay High School. Community service has continued with the sponsoring of the high school band at many functions, volunteer manpower for the polio vaccine programs, sponsoring a junior basketball league, collecting books for the public library, distributing plans for township sewer lines, building a water fountain at the Wood Street playground and dedicating it to Lion Charles Fonzone, and participating in Deputy District Governor Walt Walter’s project, a special bus for the handicapped at Good Shepherd Home.
The Lady Lions organized in 1965 and for several years through various projects brought some joy to the folks at Cedarbrook, Phoebe and St. Agnes Homes for the elderly, as well as providing a bus for Bethany Children’s Home, lap robes for the V.A. Hospital in Wilkes-Barre and bicycles for children at Allentown State Hospital.
With the growth of the township, so grew the scope of the Fullerton Lions Club and it became the Whitehall (14-K) Lions Club. It sponsored the Leo Club at the Whitehall-Coplay High School in 1968, sponsored the Catasauqua Lions Club (1971), Catasauqua Leo Club (1972), and the Coplay Lions Club (1972). Speed bumps were furnished at the Hokendauqua Playground. A K-9 dog was given to the Township Police and subsequently a vehicle for the K-9 Corps team. The Whitehall Lions were first to sponsor the District (14-K) Lions All Star Circus. In 1972 Gene Polgar was appointed Zone Chairman. In 1973 he became Deputy District Governor and in 1975 was elected District Governor for 1975-1976. The winners of three District Governor’s Contest Awards and working toward another, our Bicentennial Project was the Program Board display at the MacArthur Road entrance to the Whitehall-Coplay School District complex.
The major project in 1977 was the purchase of a Life Pak 5 defibrillator for use by the Whitehall Emergency Squad and a Visual Tek Reader.
The Whitehall Lions twinned with Calgary Southridge Lions Club in 1981-1982. This year saw the club purchase a TTY for a local resident, a Pulmo-Aide Nebulizer, a Braille Bible assigned to the Whitehall Library, and donated towards a video-tape machine for the Whitehall Band Parents. Two trees were planted at the Whitehall Library by club members.
The fall of 1983 saw the start of the presentation of a trophy to the winner of the Whitehall-Northampton football game. The club donated for the purchase of a Cranmer Computerized Brallier and Terminal for Lion Chuck Morgenstern.
An alcohol and drug abuse program at Whitehall High School was co-sponsored by the Whitehall Lions.
Lion Gene Polgar received the “Ambassador of Goodwill Award” in 1986. Our longtime meeting place was sold – Roy Snyder’s in Hokendauqua. A new meeting location had to be found.
On August 13, 1989 the Whitehall Lions endorsed Lion Gene Polgar for the office of International Director in 1991. On August 28th, District Governor Bortz presented Lion Gene with the International Leadership Award for establishing three new clubs last year.
The Whitehall Lions started sponsoring the Senior Sports Banquet at Whitehall High School with the purchase of trophies for each sport in May 1992.
In 1993, Lion Gene Polgar announced his candidacy for International Director in 1995. The state Lions endorsed him for the position. He was officially placed on the ballot for election at the International Convention in Seoul, Korea in July 1995. Imagine a Whitehall Lion – Gene Polgar an International Director. We were so very proud.
Because of rising auto prices and the unavailability of space at the Lehigh Valley Mall, the auto drawing was discontinued. Starting in 1995, our main source of revenue is a fund-raising mailing to each address in Whitehall – offering a chance to win cash prizes.
New Lions road signs were purchased and placed along Township roadways in 1996.
The 1997-1998 Lions year saw Whitehall Lion Craig Markel, Jr. accept the position of Zone Chairman. In this year we were the first organization to donate funds for the proposed Whitehall Community Center.
Our club sponsored the Lehigh Valley Sights for Hope Lions Club, which was chartered in 2022.
In 2024, as the Whitehall Lions celebrate their 73rd charter anniversary, they continue the many projects for which Lions are known.
What follows are activities, community services, and projects germinated by the Lions of Whitehall:
- Purchase TTY’s (telephone communications for the deaf).
- Purchase equipment for the blind.
- Financial help for victims of fire and other emergencies.
- Eye examinations plus glasses given without charge.
- Scholarships to high school graduating seniors.
- Financial support of high school athletics.
- Support boys and girls teams in summer basketball programs.
- Leo Club sponsorship.
- Vial of Life Campaign.
- Financial Support of Wills Eye Hospital, Beacon Lodge, Leader Dog, Northeast PA Lions Eye Bank.
- Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF).
- Defibrillator for heart attach victims, used by Ambulance Corps.
- Purchase of hot spot detector for the Whitehall Township Fire Department.
- Donated to eye and hearing research.
- Donated to diabetes research.
- Donated to Radprin – reading service for the blind.
- Donated to Braille Guild.
- Donated to Special Olympics as well as volunteered to help.
- Donated to Reyes Syndrome Foundation.
- Purchased many useful items for the Lehigh County Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
- Bowling tournament “Bowl-a-Thon.
- Donated toothbrushes to elementary school students.
- Purchased televisions for the Senior Citizens Center.
- Purchased hearing kit and tape recorder for Lehigh Valley Society for Crippled Children.
- Helped blind person move to new home.
- Had porch built for disabled woman.
- Collected eyeglasses and hearing aids to be recycled.
- Health Services Van – monitored by the Lions – testing vision and hearing.
- White Cane Day activities.
- Sponsored finger printing and taking pictures of youngsters, to aid the police department if children should become lost or kidnapped.
- Journey for Sight.
