Union City Lions Club

LIONS CLUB OF UNION CITY NEWSLETTER
NO. 8 February 5, 2005

WOW! This has been a very busy month for the Union City Lions.

REPORT ON BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING OF JANUARY 10, 2005

Name badges are coming. Lion Jim Navarro has come up with the final design. Lion Joe Kimura is coming up with the list of names. Badges will be ordered and paid for by the club. Each member should expect to be fined $10.00 to either get the new club badge or for not having the new club badge. The $10.00 will defray the cost of the badge.
The food and wine mixer tentatively planned to be co-hosted with the Chamber of Commerce has been canceled.
Lion Jim Navarro reported on the Christmas Tree donation program. He delivered five trees to needy families.
Lion Jim Navarro also reported on the upcoming Luau. He is working on securing a facility and on setting up the entertainment. We appointed Lion Mark Tayo to be our club’’s delegate at the upcoming Lions’’ International Convention.
The Board held a lengthy discussion over doing something meaningful for those who suffered from the Tsunami. We sent $150.00 to our district 4C3 to reimburse our share of the $5,000.00 sent by District 4C3 immediately after the event. LCIF (Lions Club International Foundation) is the entity in Lionism that handles disaster relief. LCIF works with local Lions clubs to funnel money into disaster areas. Local Lions know where the money is needed and we think that is a better way of doing relief. When the earthquake struck us in 1989, LCIF sent tens of thousands of dollars to our district and to other districts in the area that were affected. Our local Lions then used this money and came up with our own relief efforts. I imagine that Lions in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and other places struck by the Tsunami have projects working to help those who suffered because of the Tsunami. LCIF is funneling money to those Lions to help them help others.
Our club will hold a bake sale and donate the money earned from that bake sale to LCIF for the Tsunami relief effort. Individual members are also encouraged to donate to the club; earmark your donation for the Tsunami relief effort, and the money will be sent to LCIF.
Plans were finalized for our Charter Night/Valentine’’s meeting to be held on February 10, 2005. We will begin with wine and soft drinks at Lion Ed Xavier’’s office commencing at 6:00 pm and then move over to eMocha Cafe for our meeting and program. Lion Ida is going to surprise us with a Valentine.

REPORT ON CLUB MEETING OF JANUARY 13, 2005

Lion Gary Wong, candidate for Vice District Governor, visited our club. He spoke to us about his vision of Lionism. Several members of the Montclair Lions Club made a visitation to our club. They are Lions Ron Scrivani, Kevin McTighe, and Henry Reynoso. Also visiting was Lion Cathy Hudson from the Dawnbreakers Lions Club and Lioness Heidi Kitayama.
We had a new Lion join us. Lion Fely Fernandes Kwan was inducted by Lion Gary Wong.
Lion Gary Wong spoke about his vision of Lionism, that Lionism is not just about projects and fund raising. It is about a life change journey that takes us from being self serving to serving others. When a Lion gets up in the morning, that Lion has a purpose in life. Many people on earth do not. Lions have a purpose that drives us. It is an opportunity, privilege and honor to help other people.
Union City Lions in attendance were Roy Palilio, Kathy Sealana, Joe Kimura, Christine Friday, Ken Buffum, Greg Stewart, Bernard Lipscomb, Tom Kitayama, Andy Denoga, Helen Kennedy, Chuck Harvey, Ed Xavier, Tom Allison, Linda Fernandes, Gloria Watson, and Tony Acosta.
Antoinette Acosta also made a visit to this club. She made quite an entrance and caused a stir. Our members went crazy over her. Even Lion Ken Buffum smiled. She raised substantial money to allow the club to further its good works. At the end of the meeting the members said good night to her. I doubt if we will ever see the likes of Antoinette Acosta again.

REPORT ON SERVING DINNER AT THE OAKLAND BLIND CENTER ON JANUARY 17, 2005

Once a year our Club prepares and serves dinner at the Oakland Blind Center at the Advisory Board meeting. We donate the food and the donations raised by providing the dinner are given to the Blind Center. Lion Jim Navarro obtained the food from King Egg Roll and Lions Don Watson, Gloria Watson, Mac Sandhu, Ken Buffum, and Ed Xavier served the food. Our night coincided with the protest over the announced closure of the Blind Center. Many angry clients of the Blind Center attended. Many Lions attended. Channels 2 and 7 sent reporters and camera crews to record this event. The meeting was emotional. Lions have operated this Blind Center for over 50 years. The announcement that the doors were going to be closed on January 31 came as an unpleasant surprise to our clients and to the Lions of District 4C3. Many angry clients and angry Lions spoke up at that meeting. We served over 60 meals that night and gave the donations to the Blind Center.

REPORT ON CLUB MEETING OF JANUARY 27, 2005

Our team of six Lions made their trip to Mexico and operated an eyeglass clinic to provide glasses to those who need them and who could not afford them. We suffered many wounded in the engagement. The casualty rate was 100%. Our brave wounded Lions staggered back home to our meeting and made their after action report. First they warned us not to drink the water and to watch out for bad mayonnaise.
They reported that the trip was an unqualified success. The team saw 363 patients over 2 days. Patients were also examined for medical conditions relating to vision. 50 were found to have cataracts that required surgery, 5 suffered from glaucoma, 4 were diabetic, 3 suffered from diabetes retinopathy, 6 had high astigmatism, 1 had an epiretinal membrane, and 3 were pterygiae referrals. All with medical conditions received a referral to be treated.
Three doctors of optometry accompanied the Lions and examined and prescribed glasses for the patients. Our Lions who made the trip were Lions Ida Gueco, Gloria Watson, Helen Kennedy, Jaime Jaramillo, Tony Acosta (Antoinette stayed home) and President Rick Sealana.
Dr. David Boniface, the team leader, cited two Union City Lions for exceptional contributions. Lion Jaime Jaramillo was made into a triage specialist, using his Columbian Spanish to ask local Mexicans about their chief complaint, ask them to state their specific need (far, near, bifocal) and to take a history of their vision problems from them. Lion Jaime says that next trip he wants to brush up on his French because the Mexicans said they could not understand his Spanish.
Lion Tony Acosta was cited for doing many little things like sorting the glasses into boxes that made them easier to find and match to the prescription.
The host Lions club was the Cabo San Lucas Lions. Lion President Rick Sealana reports that they wish to twin with our club. This matter will be taken up by the Board of Directors. The Cabo San Lucas Lions Club has 26 members, 13 husband and wife couples. They are a relatively new club, but very active. Their children make up the local Leo’’s club. The Leos helped by staffing the intake table.
At this meeting we also discussed the plight of the Lions Blind center of Oakland. Lion Gordon MacKay of the Diablo Valley Lions made a visitation and shared his club’’s perspective with us. Lion Don Watson, our Club’’s representative to the Oakland Blind Center Advisory Board reported on the meeting of January 24, 2005. Around 125 Lions attended that meeting. That is an exceptional turnout. About 8% of all Lions in District 4C3 attended. It shows that we Lions care about our Blind Center and about our commitment to serve the blind. The existing Board members have taken over day to day management of the center. They will hire an interim director. They will form an advisory group to help them get through this crisis. The decision was made to keep the center open for at least another 60 days in a reduced capacity past the announced January 31 closure date. It will cost about $35,000.00 to keep the doors open for another 60 days. Several Clubs stepped up to the plate and the money was raised. It is this writer’’s opinion that we have too many good Lions in District 4C3 to permit this center to close. We will find a way to keep the Oakland Blind Center in operation to help the blind in our community. We are the knights of the blind.
Union City Lions attending this meeting were Lions Tom Kitayama, Jaime Jaramillo, Joe Kimura, Ken Buffum, Larry Cheeves, Carol Dutra Vernaci, Helen Kennedy, Tony Acosta, Dianne La Montaign, Alex Choi, Fely Kwan, Gloria Watson, Don Watson, Mac Sandhu and Ed Xavier. Lioness Heidi Kitayama also attended.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

February 10, 2005: Evening meeting. Charter night and Valentine’’s Day. Wine at 6:00 pm at Casa Xavier. Meeting at 7:00 pm. At eMocha.
February 17, 2005: Student Speakers contest at Club level.
February 19, 2005: Lion Alex Choi’’s fundraiser and senior citizen’’s appreciation lunch.
February 24, 2005: Lunch meeting at eMochaMarch 19, 2005: Luau fundraiser.

MEMBERSHIP

Remember that the club will treat a prospective new member to their first lunch or dinner as our guest. This gives people an opportunity to visit us and see if they have an interest in our club without incurring any financial obligation. You also get to invite a friend to lunch or dinner and have that lunch or dinner paid for by the club. Such a deal.

STUDENT SPEAKERS CONTEST

Lion Regis Amann reports that the Union City Lions Club Student Speakers Contest will be held on February 17, 2005, at 7:00 p.m. in Room 408 of James Logan High School. Please mark this date on your calendar.

SUNSHINE REPORT

Lioness Lu Goni, President of the Union City Lioness Club is not well. She is no longer capable of taking care of herself. Lioness Lu Goni has given many years of service to this community. Service is nothing new to her. During World War II she served as a Captain in the army and was a nurse. We wish her well and maybe we will see her at a future meeting. During the last several years, Lioness Lu Goni took care of the Valentine surprise at our annual Charter Night/Valentine’’s Day dinner. We will miss her Valentine’’s Day surprise this year.

See you soon.
Lion Ed Xavier