Tula Beene of Summit takes pride in serving her community.
For the past 12 years, Beene has been president of the Argo Summit Lions Club. She has also led the Summit Neighborhood Watch for the last five years.
“I married Beene [her late husband, retired Summit police sergeant Harron Beene] in 2003. He was a Lion, so I decided to join,” she said. “At that time, I wasn’t really sure what the Lions did, but once I found out, I wanted to be involved.”
By 2020, the club’s membership had dwindled due to age and the toll of the pandemic. At a Neighborhood Watch meeting, Beene announced that the Argo Summit Lions Club might have to disband.
“It broke my heart to see that happen,” she said. “The Argo Summit Club is the second-oldest club, and I wanted to keep it going. Lions District 1A leaders didn’t want to see us go away either. Members of the Summit Neighborhood Watch stepped up, and in March 2020, 17 people joined. We’ve been on a roll ever since.”
Beene has focused on ensuring the club remains community-based.
“Every year, we donate toys at Christmas to children at Loyola Hospital, among other initiatives,” she said. “But I wanted to help people in our community. We’ve donated to St. Blase Food Pantry and Beds Plus, treated Argo High School’s football team to a dinner for helping Summit Senior Housing residents during a fire, and are now planning something for our seniors. We enjoy helping the fire department—we just like keeping everything in town.”
This October, the club will revive its popular Corned Beef and Cabbage fundraiser.
“I’ve had people ask for years if we’d bring it back, and we sure are,” Beene said. “It was a huge success year after year, so we’re bringing it back this October to mark our club’s 100th anniversary. It will be held at Valladolid Banquet Hall on Sunday, Oct. 9.”
In addition to leading the Lions Club, Beene heads Summit Neighborhood Watch, which originated from the Weed and Seed grant program in the 1990s.
“Neighborhood Watch was created to keep officials accountable to residents,” she said. “Back then, every community that had Weed and Seed grants had to have a Neighborhood Watch. Once that was phased out, Neighborhood Watch continued to keep residents informed.”
The Summit Neighborhood Watch meets on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. next to the police station.
“Mayor Rodriguez, Police Chief Mel Ortiz, and other officials join us to keep us informed,” Beene said. “They also listen to every resident who shows up. This is how we keep communication open and work on things together.”
Beyond her involvement in the Lions Club and Neighborhood Watch, Beene has been active in the Argo Temple of God Church in Summit since she was 21.
Editor’s Note: This is one of an occasional series of stories highlighting the accomplishments of local women in honor of Women’s History Month
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