Photo courtesy of Buchanan Lions
The Buchanan Lions held a “Friends and Family” dinner on Saturday, Feb. 24, and managed to surprise Lion Pat Jasper with a Melvin Jones Fellowship award. Judy Alford, 2nd Vice District Governor of MD 24-C Lions, Roanoke area, attended to present her the award.
The Melvin Jones Fellowship is named for Melvin Jones, the founder of Lions Clubs International. As a Melvin Jones Fellow, Jasper’s name has been added to the LCIF (Lions Club International Fellowship) room at the International headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill. This award represents her dedication to humanitarian service.
Patricia Nirk Jasper was born and raised in Iowa. She went to school there and graduated from Morningside College with a teaching degree. She met her husband Gail in Germany while teaching on a military base. They were married in West Virginia where Gail had grown up. After his military discharge they moved to Buchanan to live in the family home that Pat currently lives in. Pat taught at Cloverdale Elementary and Buchanan Elementary, and science at Central Academy Middle School. While teaching she received her master’s degree from Virginia Tech.
Jasper is a longtime member of the Buchanan Lions Club, serving as president for seven years. With the Lions Club she has volunteered with, among others, James River water testing, the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center, Carilion Children’s Cancer Center, and Solomon’s Mission events and projects.
Beyond the Buchanan Lions, she is active in many areas locally with her passion for community service. She is an active member of Buchanan Presbyterian Church where she sings in the choir, as well as being involved in the Food Pantry program.
Jasper is a member of the Buchanan Friends of the Library and the Friends book club. She is well known for working at the Buchanan Carnival, cooking hot dogs each summer. She is an active member and past president of the Town Improvement Society.
~ Buchanan Lions Club
