By By Matthew Nascone
Patty Helton-Davis was honored last month for her hard work and dedication to the Atmore Lions Club during her two-year stay as club president.
Davis was named a Melvin Jones Fellow Aug. 29. Being named to the Melvin Jones Fellowship is the highest form of recognition conferred by the Lions Clubs International Foundation.
Helton was given the honor on behalf of the $1,000 donation the Atmore Lions Club made to the foundation last year. Davis' name was given as the person to recognize, but Davis was shocked when she found out.
"I can honestly say that the work by the members in this club over the past two years is the reason why I received this award," Davis said. "If we didn't have good quality members, we would not be able to function and raise the money that we donated to the foundation."
She may have been the one who received the award, but she does not take the credit for it.
"I was very humbled and honored when I found out about this award," she said. "I wanted us (the Atmore club) to get a Melvin Jones, but I didn't know anything about it being given to me. I certainly don't feel like I am the only member who could have received this award. There are many members in our club who deserved it."
Davis was voted as the Atmore recipient of the award by the Atmore Lions Club board. She said she was just doing her duty as a Lion.
"I love what the Lions Club stands for and what they do for the community," she said. "And the best part about it is how they don't toot their own horn. There are so many people that have been helped by the Lions, but they don't seek out attention about it. Lions is such a wonderful organization and I feel very blessed to be a part of it."
The Melvin Jones Fellowship honors Melvin Jones, the founder of Lions Clubs International. According to a press release, it is largely due to the growth of the fellowship program that LCIF has been able to meet humanitarian needs in communities worldwide.
As a Melvin Jones Fellow, Davis' name has been added to the listing of all individuals in the program. These names are electronically shown in continuous rotation in the LCIF Recognition Room at International Headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill.