{"id":24040,"date":"2025-06-12T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/?p=24040"},"modified":"2025-06-09T17:16:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T17:16:30","slug":"lion-blake-copple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/lion-blake-copple\/","title":{"rendered":"Blake Copple: A vision for service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A LINE OF children shifts forward, the faint shuffle of feet echoing in the school hallway. Blake Copple steadies the vision screening device inside a room nearby, preparing for the next student. Today\u2019s screening could be the first step toward clearer vision for some children \u2014 seeing the board in class, catching a ball confidently, or recognizing a familiar face from across the room. It\u2019s one of the many ways Copple and his fellow Fayetteville Lions Club members work together to serve their local community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Copple, a 22-year Army veteran, knows the value of teamwork and working toward a common goal. When he moved to Fayetteville from Huntsville, he wanted to continue serving his community. The Lions Club provided the perfect fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen Lion Dexter Sullivan asked me if I wanted to join the Lions, I was very interested,\u201d Copple recalled, but worried about his ability to participate because he was still working in Huntsville.\u201cWhen I investigated and found that they met in the evenings and that many of their projects were on weekends and evenings, it was an easy decision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That decision led to 25 years of working alongside his fellow Lions Club members in programs like the annual sight and hearing screenings for school children. A digital photo screening device expanded their reach to younger children in day care centers, preschools, and Head Start programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s rewarding to visit the schools each year, see teachers and staff, and observe the progress of students as they grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/Story-1-photo1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24043\" srcset=\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/Story-1-photo1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/Story-1-photo1-980x653.jpg 980w, https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/06\/Story-1-photo1-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photography by Brooke Snyder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond the Lions, Copple\u2019s service extends across Fayetteville. He has served on the Leadership Lincoln Board, the Fayetteville-Lincoln County Senior Citizens Board, and as a Tennessee Achieves mentor. Alongside his wife, Rhonda, he has supported the Lincoln County Humane Society, fundraising for the spay\/neuter clinic and caring for homeless cat colonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAll of these volunteer activities are connected to my sense of duty to give back to my community,\u201d he said. \u201cI have also found a synergy between the many wonderful nonprofits and caring government offices in this area. The more we all know about the missions and services of the other, the better we can help our neighbors in need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His involvement with the Fayetteville-Lincoln County Museum has deepened his appreciation for Fayetteville\u2019s past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He shared, \u201cI wasn\u2019t raised in this area, but I have thoroughly enjoyed learning more and more about its history and roots that shape the current citizens and culture. I am lucky, and the whole region is lucky, to have a resource like the Fayetteville-Lincoln County Museum to document that history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflecting on 25 years of service, Copple sees the Lions Club\u2019s value in all seasons of his life. \u201cIn the early years, it connected me to my new community. After I retired, it kept me moving and was one component of my sense of purpose. And at all times, it brought joy from knowing I was doing something to help others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can all find opportunities to serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFollow your heart. Find causes that match your passions. Even if you start small, anything you can do to help others is important.\u201d <strong>GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A LINE OF children shifts forward, the faint shuffle of feet echoing in the school hallway. Blake Copple steadies the vision screening device inside a room nearby, preparing for the next student. Today\u2019s screening could be the first step toward clearer vision for some children \u2014 seeing the board in class, catching a ball confidently, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":24044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Blake Copple: A vision for service - Fayetteville, TN Good News Exchange<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/lion-blake-copple\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blake Copple: A vision for service - Fayetteville, TN Good News Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A LINE OF children shifts forward, the faint shuffle of feet echoing in the school hallway. 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