Thank you, CalfJim.
You wrote:
My daughter goes to a girls' school. This one is possible. A school for girls. It seems to me that this version without the apostrophe is also common. You might wait for a second opinion on this. >>
In regard to my initial question of whether an article is used in "lions' den" in normal situations, I believe your response was that it is used. Would you say, then, it is similar, if not alike, to the one I quoted above? "a girls' school" means "a school for girls" and "a lions' den" denotes "a den for lions" (or something similar to that ...)
Let us assume plumbers hold their annual conference in a big city. I think the distinction can be made between "a plumbers' conference" and "a plumbers conference" based on whether you are focusing on their possession of the conference or their membership part of the conference. I am writing this but I do not know how to apply this in real world.
Possible name for a center to help local runaway children in the Nowhere city? Nowhere Runaway Children Help Center?? Why not? Nowhere Runaway Children's Help Center
Possible name for a center to help local battered women in the Nowhere city? Nowhere Battered Women Help Center?? Why not? Nowhere Battered Women's Help Center.
Would you say the first choices are better because they are focusing on the group (membership) part of the conference? My big question is "How would you know whether a name is focusing on its membership or its possession of the entity?" I think that will help me put the apostrophe in the right place. It seems to be clear that women and children don't own the centers for the examples above.