The Columbia Lions Club recently presented checks to four nonprofit organizations.
The club awarded $800 to the Old Columbia Public Grounds Company, which owns and operates Locust Street Park. The funds were donated by those who attended the Aug. 19 Music in the Park concert. The Old Columbia Public Grounds Company began because Samuel Wright, the town's founder, desired to do something of lasting benefit for the citizens of the town. The Lions own and maintain the gazebo in the park.
The Lions Club also donated $4,000 each to the Columbia Boys Athletic Association (CBAA), Glatfelter Memorial Field Foundation and Zion Hill Cemetery. These funds were proceeds from the Thunder on the River car show held on June 18.
The CBAA offers sports such as baseball, softball, T-ball, football, cheerleading, wrestling and basketball to boys and girls in the Columbia area. Donations received are used for equipment, league fees, referee and umpire fees and facility maintenance and upkeep. To learn more, visit http://www.cbaaonline.weebly.com.
Glatfelter Memorial Field was dedicated in memory of Lt. Richard Glatfelter, a graduate of Columbia High School and West Point Military Academy. The 28-acre facility is the home field for the CBAA, Columbia High School girls' softball, the Mariners United Soccer Club and the Columbia Street Hockey League. National Night Out, church camps, field days, food drives and other community events are also held at the facility, which is owned and maintained by the Glatfelter Memorial Field Foundation.
Zion Hill Cemetery is the final resting place of several soldiers who fought with the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the Union Army's first African American regiment in the Civil War. This regiment was depicted in the 1989 movie "Glory" starring Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington. Among those buried at Zion Hill is Robert Loney, a Civil War soldier and conductor on the Underground Railroad whose family was among the first group of slaves freed in the early 1800s. The Columbia Historic Preservation Society, in partnership with Columbia Borough, has acquired the stewardship of the cemetery with the goal of preserving this landmark and telling the stories of men and women who played a significant role in shaping the history of Columbia and the nation. Donations are accepted at http://www.gofundme.com/f/zion-hill-cemetery-restoration-project.
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