Union City Lions Club

LIONS CLUB OF UNION CITY NEWSLETTER
NO. 9 March 7, 2005

The Lions of Union City keep rolling along. Another active month.

REPORT ON BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING OF FEBRUARY 14, 2005

The Cabo San Lucas lions Club - the club that we partnered with while performing our Lions in Sight mission in Mexico, asked to twin with us. The Board passed a resolution forming an official relationship with the Cabo San Lucas Club as a twin club.
Lion Jim Navarro volunteered to design and produce a new club pin for Union City. We are trying to locate any existing Union City Club Banners. If any of our Lions has a Union City Club banner, please bring it in for us to examine.
The bake sale to raise money for Tsunami relief was set for February 26.
The Luau to raise money for the blind centers was set for April 30.
Plans for feeding senior citizens at Lion Alex Choi’s Breakathon fundraiser were finalized.

REPORT ON CLUB MEETING OF FEBRUARY 10, 2005:

This was our Charter Night and Valentine’s Day dinner meeting. Our evening started at Lion Ed Xavier’s office with a social hour. We then moved to Lion Mac Sandu’s eMocha Café for our dinner meeting. Lion Ida Gueco did an outstanding job of decorating the Café for valentine’s Day and lavished those attending with a Valentine gift. Lion Ida was very generous.
Lion PDG Rex Davis and Gerri Davis were in town and we had the pleasure of their company for dinner.
Lion Ed Xavier presented the Charter Night program which consists of a trip down memory lane for the Union City Lions’s Club.
Lions attending were Rick and Cathy Sealana, Steve DeLucchi, Tony (not Antoinette) Acosta, Helen Kennedy, Roy Panlilio, Tom Kitayama, Rex Davis, Ida Gueco, Joe Kimura, Ken Buffum, Christine Friday, Linda Fernandes, Don and Gloria Watson, Jim Navarro, Bruce Davis, Alex Choi, Mac Sandhu and Ed Xavier. The Lionesses joined us and Lionesses attending were Heidi Kitayama, Mattie Rousseau, Cleo Powell. Guests attending were Bobbie DeLucchi, Gerri Davis and Marjorie Xavier.

REPORT ON CLUB LEVEL STUDENT SPEAKER’S CONTEST HELD ON FEBRUARY 17, 2005

Our Club participated in the annual Lions’ Student Speakers Contest. We are privileged to have Tommy Lindsey and the James Logan High School Forensics Program within our community. Once again we had the pleasure to hear three well prepared and exemplary young members of our community competing at our club level event.
The contest winner was Mike Joshi, a senior at James Logan High School. This young man has already been accepted by Stanford University in their early admission program. He is still waiting for other offers.
Lion Regis Amann chaired this event as he does ably every year. Those Lions attending were Lions Regis Amann, Don and Gloria Watson, Ken Buffum, Helen Kennedy, Tony Acosta, Fely Kwan, Jim Navarro, Rick Sealana, and Ed Xavier.
Mike Joshi next speaks at the zone student speakers contest which will take place this Wednesday, March 7, 2005, at 7:00 pm at the District Offices of the New Haven Unified School District located on Alvarado Niles Road in Union City.

REPORT ON SERVING LUCH TO SENIOR CITIZENS AT LION ALEX CHOI’S FUNDRAISER ON FEBRUARY 19, 2005

Lion Alex Choi’s Breakathon fundraiser was well attended by the community. About thirty senior citizens attended and we fed lunch to them. One of the seniors attending was Jesse Orosco, a charter member of this club from 1963. Lunch was donated by three restaurants in the area.
Lions attending and serving were Alex Choi, Rick Sealana, Ken Buffum, Joe Kimura, Ida Gueco, Roy Panlilio, Jonny Tahirkheli, Fely Kwan, Greg Stewart, Bill Fournell, Kathy Sealana, Jaime Jaramillo, Jim Navarro, and Ed Xavier. I lost my notes of those attending, so if I omitted your name, I apologize. Contact me and I will publish a correction next newsletter.

REPORT ON CLUB MEETING OFFEBRUARY 25, 2005

Our speaker was Union City Lion Steve DeLucchi. Lion Steve is both an attorney and a real estate broker. He spoke to us about living trusts and estate planning. Lion Steve was president of our Club in 1989-1990.
Lions attending were Joe Kimura, Ken Buffum, Christina Friday, Tom Kitayama, Greg Stewart, Rick Sealana, Larry Cheeves, Helen Kennedy, Mac Sandhu, Don Watson, Gloria Watson, Jonny Tahirkheli, Steve DeLucchi, and Ed Xavier. Lioness Heidi Kitayama attended as a guest.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March 7, 2005: Zone student speakers contest at the New Haven Unified School District at 7:00 pm.
March 10, 2005: Dinner meeting at eMocha, 7:00 pm. Lion Cathy Hudson, candidate for Vice District Governor will be making her presentation to our club.
March 14, 2005: Board of Director’s meeting, 7:00 pm at City hall.
March 24, 2005: Lunch meeting at eMocha, 12 noon.
April 11, 2005: Board of Director’s meeting, 7:00 pm at City hall.
April 14, 2005: Dinner meeting at eMocha, 7:00 pm.
April 28, 2005: Lunch meeting at eMocha, 12 noon.
April 30, 2005: Luau fundraiser at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Union City.

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.
DUES INCREASE: We have been alerted by Lions District 4C3 that our dues with them probably will increase next year. We will have to increase our Club dues to keep up with this additional cost per member.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

April is elections time in Lions. Lion Helen Kennedy is chair of the Nominations Committee. She will read the list of nominees to the members at our two meetings in March. Nominations from the floor is in order if any Lion wants to serve and who has not been nominated by the committee. The election of officers and directors will take place in the first meeting in April.

WAL-MART GRANT

Special thanks goes to the Union City Wal-Mart store for their continued partnership with us in providing service to the community. They gave $1,000.00 to the Union City Lions Club to support our community service activities in Union City. As an added bonus, Wal-Mart also gave us a check in the amount of $1,000.00 to be given to the Lions Club International Foundation where it will help fund global humanitarian projects such as the Lions Tsunami relief effort or the Lions in Sight program. Our original partnership with Wal-Mart was made by Lion Bob Poole about two years ago. He approached them to make a donation to the Luau for Gabriella and Wal-Mart became a platinum sponsor with a contribution of $1,000.00. Now Wal-Mart once again is partnering with the Union City Lions Club to do good in this community.

UPCOMING LUAU FUNDRAISER FOR THE BLIND CENTERS

All Lions know that the Blind Center in Oakland is in financial trouble. Our Club decided to hold a fundraiser to raise money for both the Blind Center in Oakland and the one in Pittsburg, CA.
Our district 4C3 operates two blind centers. As far as I know, 4C3 is the only district in Lions International that operates two blind centers.
We will be partnering with the Union City Lioness Club, Union City Leo’s Club, and Kawailehua Hula Ohana to put on this event.

The schedule of events is as follows:

5:00 to 6:00 Hawaiian music, cocktails, silent auction, games, prizes.
6:00 to 7:00 Dinner.
7:00 to 8:00 Kawailehua Hula Ohana Polynesian dance revue.
8:00 to 10:00 Music, raffle, door prize.

Location: Our Lady of the Rosary Church Hall, 703 “C” Street, Union City, CA
Menu: Fabulous luau fare, featuring a traditional Hawaiian roast pig.
Cost: $25.00 for adults, $10.00 for children 10 years old and under. Lion Jonny Tahirkheli is coordinating ticket sales.

Each Lion is asked to either sell or buy ten tickets. Lion Jonny will get your ten tickets to you. Lion Ida Gueco is chairing this event for our club. Every Lion needs to help so that this event is a success. Proceeds from this event will be used to support the two Lions Blind Centers serving the East Bay and other Union City Lions community projects.

TSUNAMI RELIEF BAKE SALE

Your bulletin editor was not able to attend this event and has nothing to report at this time. I will report on this event in our next newsletter.

SUNSHINE REPORT

Lioness Lu Goni, President of the Union City Lioness Club is not well. Lioness Lu Goni has given many years of service to this community. Service is nothing new to her. Lioness Lu is no longer able to care for herself. Her family has decided to have her remain in her home and help her function there. Lioness Mattie Rousseau arranged for meals on wheels to bring food to Lioness Lu. Lioness Lu needs constant care and is not able to leave her home. Her family asks that we not try to contact her because she will not be able to respond to messages. Lion Greg Stewart underwent surgery and will be out of action for a couple of weeks. Lion Greg will be back serving and protecting us very soon. Lion Past President (1973-1974) Earle Leffingwell passed away recently. Lions Tom Kitayama and Ed Xavier attended his memorial service as did Lioness Heidi Kitayama. We told those attending about Lion Earle’s contribution to this community. During his year as President our Club began participating in Lions’ Flag Day and we still participate in flag day with the New Haven School District. During his year as President, our club sponsored and chartered the Tropics Lions Club. Those who remember Lion Earle remember him as an avid fisherman, a person who liked a good joke, and a driver who drove too fast. See you soon.