Lions October Fundraiser Seeds Club's Good Works

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

The philanthropic activities of the Amador Valley Lions Club have touched countless lives in the community since the local chapter was established almost 30 years ago. They have also had worldwide impact as a portion of the local group's fundraising proceeds flows to the international Lions organization, which has a presence in 205 countries across the globe.

"Our 45,000 clubs and 1.35 million members make us the world's largest service club organization," according to lionsclubs.org. Founded in 1917, the service group is best known for fighting blindness, but the diversity of the club's good works is one of its hallmarks. Members volunteer for many different kinds of community projects - including caring for the environment and aiding seniors and the disabled. Recent accomplishments range from feeding 60,000 people in a South African township to sending a team of eye surgeons to Honduras to treat more than 100 adults and children.

"Our primary function and philanthropic efforts focus on eyesight care and correction in this and other countries of the world, as afflictions to the eyes know no borders," says Amador Valley Lion Buzz Valente. "Further, we are dedicated to local Blind Centers in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties, providing them with consulting, guidance, and financial support."

The club regularly conducts food drives and donates money to the Tri-Valley Haven's Food Pantry and provides financial assistance to Lions in Sight, both locally and internationally. Its generosity has allowed needy students to attend Exploring New Horizons, an outdoor education school; provided entertainment for the residents of Pleasanton's Eden Villa Assisted Living Center through the purchase of a Wii computer program; and funded the cash prizes for the Student Speakers Contest for Pleasanton high school students. It was a corporate sponsor of the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life this summer and participates in the Pleasanton Fire Department's Toys for Tots. Lions also write letters and send get-well cards to convalescing servicemen and women at the Veterans Administration hospital in Palo Alto, along with contributing to the Support All Military organization.

All this philanthropic work is dependent on the success of the Lions' annual Big Money Give-Away fundraiser, which this year is scheduled for Thursday, October 13, in the Palm Pavilion of the Pleasanton Fairgrounds. The evening includes dinner, cooked by fellow Lions and owners of Demitri's Taverna in Livermore; raffles, a silent auction, and a sports memorabilia sale; and a suspense-filled ball drop, which gives away close to $9,000, including a $5,000 grand prize.

The club meets the first and third Thursdays of each month at 12:15 pm at Round Table Pizza, 530 Main Street. To buy tickets for the Big Money Give-Away or for membership information, contact Valente at (925) 443-8649 or Peter Bailey at (925) 846-4921. For more information, visit the Lions International website at www.lionsclubs.org.

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