The Lions Club of Red Bank has a storied history, and the club has just reached a new milestone: Judy Bratcher was recently inaugurated as the club's first female president.
Bratcher has been a member of the public service club's chapter for five years, and said she didn't have any machinations about leading the organization when she first joined.
"I definitely wasn't thinking president," Bratcher laughed. "I'd never been a member of a civic organization, just church clubs, so I had a lot to learn."
Bratcher was nominated and elected by her peers in the club. Prior to her election as president, she served as the secretary, and later vice president of the organization.
As president, her first order of business will be growth and community outreach. She's looking to build up membership by showing the community what the Lions Club does and what makes it great, she said.
Bratcher said she's already been in talks with Dr. Justin Robinson, principal of Red Bank High School, about starting a Leo Club at the school to increase outreach to students and children.
In addition, she said making the club more accessible to women is another major goal for her term. Currently, there are four women in the club, including Bratcher, a number she hopes she can bolster.
"We can do so much more when we have higher numbers," Bratcher said. "We can't just meet twice a month and that's it. We have to be out doing things and reaching out to people."
The desire to see even more community involvement from the club, and wishing to be more involved herself, was what drove her to seek the office of president.
"Everyone knows how great the Lions Club is, but they've got to see us," said Bratcher, who has been attending Chamber of Commerce, town council meetings and more to try to make the club and herself more visible. That sort of face-to-face interaction, she said, is key to the success of the club.
For more information about the Red Bank Lions Club, check out their Facebook page or go to e-clubhouse.org/sites/red_bank.