Two New members to the Sanibel-Captiva Lions Club were inducted at the Lions Club meeting on Wednesday Night at 7:00PM at the Sanibel Community House .The New Lions are: Lisa Cochrane and Don Swingle …More info and pictures will follow.
The Sanibel-Captiva Lions Club welcomed guest speaker Tony Lapi to its most recent monthly meeting, held at the Sanibel Community House, December 2, 7 to 8:30 p.m. At the dinner meeting, catered by Bailey’s General Store, the Club also inducted two new members, Lisa Cochrane and Don Swingle, and welcomed Lions Club International member Ken Williams, who transferred his membership to Sanibel-Captiva from Maryland.
Lapi, chief executive officer of ‘Tween Waters Inn and Resort and member of the board of directors for United Way of Lee and Glades Counties, spoke to the group about the United Way’s current fund-raising drive. According to Lapi, the Sanibel-Captiva United Way hopes to raise $350,000 this year, which will exceed last year’s goal by $4,000. In his request for Lions Club participation, Lapi said, “All money raised here stays local. It benefits our own community agencies and programs.”
New members Cochrane and Swingle were sponsored, respectively, by Nilou Peters and Toby Clark. Williams has been a member of the Lions Club for nearly 50 years. Lions Club president Kurt Peters administered the member’s oath. Describing the Lions Club for Cochrane and Swingle, membership chair Rick Siders called it the largest international service club in the world, with 1.3 million members. Since its establishment in 1917, in Chicago, Illinois, the group has been dedicated to serve “wherever need exists. The Lions Club focuses especially on help for the visually impaired,” Siders said, “to honor a commitment that it made in 1925 to Helen Keller.”
President Kurt Peters led the business meeting, assisted by officers Debi Almeida, first vice president, Toby Clark, second vice president, Roger Grogman, third vice president, membership chair Rick Siders, and treasurer Les Forney.
The Lions Club’s second December meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, December 16, 6:30 p.m., is a Christmas party. It takes place at Casa Ybel Resort’s Thistle Lodge gulfside restaurant.
For information on Lions Club service activities, visit the Lions website: http://www.sanibelcaptivalions.org/.
The Lions Club meets the first and third Wednesday of every month at the Sanibel Community House, located at 2173 Periwinkle Way. Individuals interested in joining the Sanibel-Captiva Lions Club should contact membership chair Rick Siders at sanibelcaptivalions.org.