Cambridge Lions Inducts 100th and 101st Members

Gary Lyons conducted the ceremony to induct two new members, Dana Carley and Jon Black. “Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become knights of the blind,” Lyons said. “That’s still our mission today. We also donate funds to the local diabetes support group. Our recent tractor pull raised over seven thousand dollars for this.” Carley and Black were the 100 and 101st members inducted into this clubs current membership. Dana Carley was sponsored by 13G 1St Vice Governer Tom Cahoon while Jon Black was sponsored by Randolph White. The Lions also wish to congratulate Membership Chairman Lou Prine on reaching the goal of 100 members that he accepted in the fall of 2008. This club is pleased to report they have grown by over 20 members since last year. Way to go Lou!

Casterline and Tommy Guns?

“I hope there is still time to save our history,” said Rick Casterline. “The decision of the sheriff to sell the Thompson submachine guns has already been approved by the county commissioners. Maybe if people knew what we have, we could get them to change their minds.”

“I know that the sheriff’s office needs new cruisers and we need to support that, but after we sell off our history, how do we pay for new cruisers in the years after that?” Casterline asked of the Cambridge Lions Club. “We have the rarest of the rare in these Tommy guns.”

One of the sheriff’s guns has a serial number of 251 and the others are in the low four digit numbers,” Casterline said. “In 2002 one of these guns with a serial number of 167 sold for one hundred thousand dollars. That one was owned by a hardware store and had all the clips, all the papers, and had never been fired.”

“The four submachine guns were donated to the sheriff’s department. Two others were donated to the Cambridge police department. The police department still has one.”

“The ones at the sheriff’s office are part of the fifteen thousand that were manufactured by Colt in the 1920’s. Of those about five thousand are still in existence. They are sought after by wealthy gun collectors.”

“When they were new these guns cost about two hundred dollars,” Casterline said. “A new Ford in the 1920’s cost about four hundred dollars. You can see that they were expensive.”

“There was unrest in the coal fields in the 1930’s,” Casterline said. “The sheriff was Thomas Gracy. The coal companies had donated the Thompson guns to the sheriff. They helped keep the peace at the mines here.”

“At one time in 1932 Gracy and his deputies, armed with the submachine guns, had arrested thirty two people, most for disturbing the peace. Another eight were arrested for violating an order that no more than a few people could picket the mines at one time. They were housed in the jail that used to be behind the courthouse where the parking lot is now.”

“Private ownership of submachine guns was restricted by the Firearms Act of 1934, said Casterline. “The Firearms act of 1986 prevents the sale of new submachine guns to private citizens. The sale of earlier firearms as collectors’ items is still allowed.”

“Maybe if people knew what part the guns had played in our history, they could find another way to pay for the cruisers for the sheriff’s department,” Casterline said.

Guersey County Children Services

“Please consider becoming a foster or adoptive family,” said Kelly Lynch to the Cambridge Lions Club. “We need our community and our children need us all.” Lynch is the executive director of the Guernsey County Children’s Services.

“We are constantly trying to extend our foster care network,” said Jeff Flaherty, specialized services director of children’s services. “We have a number of grandparents raising kids. We are constantly recruiting people to become foster families so that we can have a wider variety of options to get a better match for kids.”

“We have a number of programs to help families,” said Jamie Miller, community outreach education coordinator. “We have a boot camp for new dads with classes once a month. This is a time when new dads can get advice from experienced dads in changing diapers, in how to handle a baby, and how to deal with other things with a new baby.”

“We have a poster that helps recognize how to avoid shaken baby syndrome,” Miller said. “Shaking a baby can create serious problems that may last a lifetime. Shaking a baby can cause brain damage.”

“The Children’s Advocacy Center is a joint project of law enforcement, the hospital, the prosecutor’s office and children’s services,” said Melissa Keylor, unit supervisor - assessments. “We have a child and family friendly environment where we can video tape interviews of children when we are investigating possible child physical or sexual abuse.”

Video tapes can be viewed by the prosecutor and used as evidence in court. This allows for a one-time interview that can be viewed by the prosecutor and children’s services personnel. The child is spared having to retell the situation to multiple interviewers.

“We also are participating in the alternative response pilot program,” Lynch said. “We involve the family in the decision making process. We recognize that there is no single right solution for every family. For some families it is more appropriate to provide families with support and services so they don’t get to the point where protective services are required.”

Children’s Services will be conducting a Backpack Luncheon on July 23 from 11:00-1:00. People can donate a backpack or money so kids can go back to school in style.

There will also be an “Adopt a Family for Christmas” program later in the year sponsored by children’s services. There will also be an opportunity for kids to select presents for their parents, a project supported by the Cambridge Lioness Club.

Sarah Hickman, intake screener, also attended the meeting. More information about children’s services is available at www.guernseycsb.org. To report cases of abuse or for more information call 740.439.5555.