At the weekly Coupeville Lions meeting on Aug. 18, Mayor Nancy Conard was awarded the Lions Melvin Jones Fellowship by Past International Director Dur Roberson.

The Melvin Jones Fellowship Award is the Lions Clubs International Foundation’s highest honor. There are over 261,900 Melvin Jones Fellowships worldwide.

The fellowship, which was created in 1973, takes its name from the founder of Lions Clubs International (LCI), Melvin Jones. It is an honor, not an award.

The fellowship was established as LCIF’s highest form of recognition to acknowledge an individual’s dedication to humanitarian service.

“Lion Mayor Treasurer Nancy” has served on the board of directors in one role or another since July 1999. Her first position was membership chair, a job she obviously took to heart. In the past 12 years Conard has sponsored 17 new members. She was a 100 percent president in 2006/2007 for membership retention. She has also been instrumental in maintaining a strong partnership between the Town and the Lions Club, alerting the club to opportunities where they can serve the needs of the community.

Despite having to deal with the full time job of mayor, Conard is always there to serve at major Lions events, like the Garage Sale, Scholarship Auction and Salmon BBQ as well as attend the weekly meetings as an officer.

Joe Walck, immediate past president, said, “I think Nancy made a commitment to serve through the Lions because she loves to help others, and she loves Coupeville. Her dedication to the Lions and the betterment of our community inspires others; I know her example has inspired me to serve our community as best I can.”