Service clubs can be like social clubs.

Service clubs promote camaraderie and fellowship and create colleagues and collaborators. Throw in a little time, and those relationships can develop into friendships.

Lancaster Lions Club (LLC) is one of the oldest organized service clubs in Lancaster County.

"We have a lot of members who have been there a very long time," said Bill Crabtree, a 40-year Lion who's currently in his second term as LLC's president. "So we've gotten to know each other over the years. Not everybody has the passion for the same thing. As a group, we come together, and as a service club, we accomplish something. There's a camaraderie that comes with doing things with people with similar interests."

An active and vibrant volunteer organization, LLC meets at noon on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month at the Neptune Diner, 924 N. Prince St., Lancaster. Overseen by a board of directors, LLC seeks to provide services where they are needed most, and it sometimes partners with other nonprofits to promote the greater good.

"Our purpose is to serve the Lancaster city community with volunteerism and funding, where possible," said Crabtree. "We seek out opportunities to serve. We try to emphasize activities in the city of Lancaster. Lions Clubs tend to take care of their own communities. The city of Lancaster has a lot of need."

The services that LLC provides are as diverse and varied as the interests of its membership. LLC has been and continues to be involved with collecting eyeglasses, holding fundraisers, serving as Salvation Army bell ringers, cleaning up local trails, collecting and distributing socks, serving meals and assisting at events conducted by other service groups.

In October, LLC and its sponsored Lancaster-Lebanon Disaster Relief Lions Club raised more than $50,000 and collected nonperishable items for the victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton through the cooperation of other Lions Clubs in the state.

"When you're volunteering and making a difference in other people's lives and seeing them smile, and they say, 'Thank you,' there's just nothing like it," said Crabtree. "They're good people; they're just down on their luck. It's all about them, but sometimes we're getting more out of it than they do. We all come together, and we try to make a difference."

LLC is made up of 34 volunteers, men and women, ages 30 to 99. Some are retired and some are still working, but the one thing they have in common is huge hearts for giving back.

"It started out as a city club with businesspeople, but now we don't have anyone who lives in the city," said Crabtree. "Most of us live on the outskirts. It's a broad swath of life. They just have a mission to serve. We have a very dedicated group. I have a very supportive group behind me."

Established in 1922, LLC is the oldest of the 41 Lions Clubs that serve the Lancaster-Lebanon district. Those 41 clubs are supported by more than 1,100 members.

With a total of 1.4 million members across 49,000 clubs in 200 countries, Lions Club International is one of the largest civic clubs in the world.

"There's a lot of men and women out there doing good work," said Crabtree. "Lions tend to be in every community, so Lions are always there. Where there's a need, there's a Lion."

"We're trying to provide opportunities for people to get involved," continued Crabtree. "If people want to make a difference in the city, we have opportunities to explore. We invite people to see what we do."

For additional information about the Lancaster Lions Club, go to http://www.lancasterlionsclub.com.