S. Elgin Lion scores high honor

A St. Charles man who been involved in many volunteer efforts throughout his long life has received one of the highest honors there is for local Lions Club members.

Jimmy Donaldson, 86, a South Elgin Lion since 1983, won the organization’s George Lazansky Distinguished Service Award earlier this month at the Lions District 1J annual convention. It recognizes club members who not only help run their chapter but who are also active in the district and statewide.

He is the fifth South Elgin club member to win the award that was established in 2002 and named after the district’s first governor.

Donaldson said the honor took him completely by surprise.

“I’m glad to win it but ... I didn’t set out to win the award,” Donaldson said. “I just worked with the Lions Club — I love the Lions Club and I like what they do.”

The World War II veteran has served on the club’s board of directors as president and vice president and has chaired and gotten involved with most of the group’s activities and functions. Those include Saturday night bingo, overseeing pull tab games at bingo and collecting eyeglasses and hearing aids from various sites.

Donaldson is active in the community even when he isn’t working with the Lions. As a member of the VFW Post 2327 in South Elgin, he serves on its flag brigade committee and leads a committee that visits hospitalized seniors.

Locally, Donaldson helped run a Boy Scout troop for kids at the Elgin Mental Health Center, where he worked for 36 years and worked as a police officer in Valley View.

“He’s done a lot of different things in his life,” said Leo Snyder, first vice governor of District 1J. “I mean, it is just unbelievable.”