The worst of the pandemic is over and local service clubs are reconnecting, regrouping, and in some cases, experiencing a renaissance.
Following the recent folding of the Royalton Hills Lions Club, the North Royalton Lions Club has acquired several of its members, said Vice President Dan Lester. The pandemic has not slowed the Lions’ pursuit of service projects and members have held two successful fundraisers at Topgolf in Independence. Monies raised support the Lions’ many charities and causes including diabetes, vision and pediatric cancer. The North Royalton Lions Club has also held steady, supporting the local food bank and Lend A Hand in Broadview Heights.
Members will have a strong presence at this weekend’s CLE MARKET event scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 10 on the City Green. The farmer’s market style event features nonprofits, local vendors selling their wares, entertainment and food. Up next, is the Lions’ Save-An-Eye Charity Golf Outing on July 21 at Valleaire Golf Club in Hinckley, followed by the local health expo making its return in September, and a charity clambake in the works for October. The holiday season will bring the return of last year’s popular Letters to Santa children’s program, Lester said.
The North Royalton Garden Club held its first in-person session in April at Maria Gardens, said President Pam Wetterau. Then in May, the Club was part of the first CLE MARKET on the City Green, holding a plant sale that sold out of everything offered. This month, members will congregate at Wetterau’s residence for a Garden Tour event. Regular meetings will resume in September. Other upcoming events include a fall craft night and a holiday party.
“The drop in activities and the drop in visibility for a year was significant,” Wetterau said of pandemic challenges. “I know many clubs did Zoom meetings, but I polled some of our members and they weren’t interested in virtual meetings, so we decided to just get by as best we could. I have kept in communication regularly and I know from seeing it in April that everyone was glad to start coming back together.”
Nick Phillips, who leads the North Royalton Alumni Association and the local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) also provided updates on each organization, noting that a return to live meetings will eventually resume. It’s a big year for the North Royalton City Schools with a new superintendent, opening of an elementary school and completion of middle and high school construction projects, and Phillips hopes to organize a larger scale event commemorating the occasion. Members also continue their work on an alumni database project and efforts to raise dollars for high school scholarships. For CERT, a training program is in the works to help members update their certifications. The North Royalton CERT had a strong presence at a vaccine clinic held at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds over the winter, Phillips noted. Several members also received presidential recognition for their service.
The North Royalton Historical Society elected a new slate of officers at its June meeting, including a new president, Michael McDonald. Outgoing President Don Harris was honored and thanked for his many years of dedicated service to the club, of which his wife is also a member. McDonald will focus on many initiatives including boosting membership, introducing fundraising activities, increasing the community’s awareness of the organization and building a richer partnership with the city schools.
“One of the things I would like to do is make our younger folks more a tune to what happens here at the Historical Society and what types of things are housed there,” he said. “I am thinking of doing a show-and-tell type of school event where we bring in a collection of donated local articles and do a presentation with them to the students explaining how they were used and their significance to the time period.”
McDonald said he’s also interested in organizing a community cemetery tour in the fall. Above all, he wants to make North Royalton history fun and approachable for residents.
“It’s really about preserving the history of North Royalton so all the generations to come will have something to enjoy,” he said.
Steve Schwarz, treasurer of the North Royalton Broadview Heights Rotary, said the chapter has been idle since the start of the pandemic and hopes to reconvene in the fall.
The Chamber of Commerce will resume monthly meetings with speakers in the fall. There are other projects in the works which will be announced as they solidify. Members will be notified of events through the Chamber website and newsletter.

By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer