The Natchitoches Lions Club held its Annual Awards & Installation Banquet and presented scholarships to two Natchitoches Seniors. The Natchitoches Lions Club was chartered October 7, 1943 and will be celebrating its 82nd year in service to the Natchitoches community and beyond. This year’s banquet was held in the President’s Room on the beautiful Northwestern campus.
A highlight of each year’s banquet is the presentation of the Natchitoches Lions Club Scholarships. The scholarships are awarded to two Natchitoches Parish students who exemplify the motto of Lions International “We Serve”. Students who have strong academic success, along with proven community service accolades, are considered for the scholarship.
Lion Jennifer Anderson, Chairman of the Scholarship Committee, introduced this year’s recipients: Natchitoches Central High School Senior Brooklyn Jones and Abeka Academy Senior Allison Goings.
Anderson was also recognized as New Lion of the Year. As chairman of the scholarship committee, she oversaw the revamping of the application process, the coordination with NSU and worked with all schools in the parish to ensure that all graduating seniors had information about the scholarships.
Lion Bill Buckley was recognized as Lion of the Year. He is a dedicated member of the Natchitoches Lions Club after having been a strong member of the Slidell Lions Club for many years. Whether it be serving at the Santa Claus House during the holiday season, feeding campers at Louisiana Lions Camp or making lunches for the Summer Reading Program at the Natchitoches Parish Library; he is the personification of the Lions motto “We Serve”. He was also presented with the prestigious Melvin Jones Fellowship for his dedicated humanitarian service through Lions International.
The 2025-26 year will be a special year for local Lions as this year’s State Convention will be held at Cypress Bend Resort. Natchitoches Lions Club members will play a role in hosting the event which will bring hundreds of Lions Club members from across the state to neighboring Sabine parish.
The night ended with new officers being named. Past Council Chair William Arceneaux, from the Sulphur Lions Club, was on hand to install new officers. Arceneaux has been an active Lion on the local, district, state and multi-state area levels for over 20 years. President Nicole Woods, Vice President Michael Giannone, Secretary Sarah Giannone, Treasurer Michele Waskom, Membership Chair Don Brown, Tail Twister Mimi Stoker, Lion Tamer Sammy Woods and Board Members Cheryl Stoker, Bill Buckley, Jennifer Anderson, Mickey Stroud and Zach Whitehead. Lions International membership has surpassed 1.4 million members in over 49,000 clubs in over 200 countries and is the largest service organization in the world.
With both global and local service initiatives, Lions Club members strive to meet the needs of the community based on their pillar projects. If you are interested in learning more, you are invited to any meeting held the first and the third Monday of every month in the Listach Room at NRMC. Meetings begin at noon and more information can be found by following the Club’s Facebook page: Natchitoches Lions Club.
