For the Manheim Lions Club, this is a year of milestones. It marks both 100 years of the club and the Manheim Lions baseball team, and it celebrates 50 years of the Richard "Dick" Weidman Award, given to the player on the Manheim Lions baseball team with the highest batting average.

The Manheim Lions Club was chartered in 1925.

"For a century, we've lived the Lions motto  'We Serve,' focusing on vision and health initiatives, youth programs and hands-on community support," said Aaron Henderson, president of the Manheim club. "Highlights include sponsoring the Manheim Lions baseball team, presenting annual education awards, sponsoring Cub Scout Pack 47, recognizing a Student of the Month at Lancaster County Career and Technology Center, hosting the Easter egg hunt and Santa Run 5K/Walk, running the Manheim Live Facebook page and supporting sight-related causes across Pennsylvania and beyond."

At a recent meeting, the club honored Jeff Mummau with the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award and McCoy Nye with the Dick Weidman Award.

"Melvin Jones founded Lions Clubs International in 1917," Henderson explained. "The Melvin Jones Fellowship Award is the highest recognition given by Lions International worldwide, honoring extraordinary humanitarian service and dedication. In Manheim, the award was presented this year to Jeff Mummau for his decades of commitment to the U14 team and the Lions ballfield."

Mummau not only played for the team and won the Dick Weidman Award in 1980, but has since returned to coach; maintain the field; coordinate sponsorships; and lead major projects such as a new backstop in 2024, a new shed for groundskeeping equipment and a replacement tractor in 2025.

The Dick Weidman Award began when Weidman was a coach with the Manheim Lions baseball team. After his passing, his wife, Ruth, carried on the tradition, and today Mummau helps to present the award on her behalf.

"The award continues to honor Dick's legacy and his lasting impact on youth baseball in Manheim," Henderson stated.

The club will mark its 100th anniversary in several ways.

"We're celebrating throughout the year by recognizing members and community partners, highlighting our history at events like the baseball award presentations during our meetings and reflecting on a century of service at our club birthday party in November, where the community will be invited to join the celebration," Henderson said. More information will be posted soon about the party.

He credits the longevity of the club to staying focused on service and being deeply tied to the community.

"Each generation of Lions has stepped up to meet local needs, and that commitment has never faded," he said. "We're a group of neighbors who step up for Manheim. All money raised in the community goes back into the community. We like to say, 'From the community, for the community. From the club, for the club.'"

He expressed appreciation for the club's community partners, adding, "None of this is possible without the generous support of our local residents and businesses who stand behind us."

He also encourages anyone who is interested in learning more to come to a Lions Club meeting.

"Joining the Manheim Lions Club means making a visible difference, building friendships and being part of a tradition of service that's lasted 100 years," he remarked. "It's also a great way to give back to the community while working alongside neighbors who share the same spirit of service."

The Manheim Lions Club meets on the first Monday of the month at the Manheim Historical Society train station, 210 S. Charlotte St., at 7 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.manheimlions.org, search for "Manheim Live" on Facebook or call club secretary Leslie Henderson at 717-989-0183.