Gordon’s Bay Lions celebrate 30th anniversary of their club.
Gordon’s Bay Lions celebrate 30th anniversary of their club.
The Gordon’s Bay Lions Club recently celebrated their 30th anniversary and hosted a successful open evening of fun and fellowship.
When Lions Clubs International was founded in Chicago in 1917 by the young American Melvin Jones (1879 – 1961), the purpose of the association was to reach beyond business issues and to address the betterment of the communities and the world.
Lionism was introduced to South Africa mainly by Dr. Louis Volks (1909 – 1992). Born in the Paarl Valley and grown up in the Western Cape, Dr. Volks believed that people should become involved in organisations to serve. Together with other leading citizens he formed the Lions Club of Cape Town Mother Club that was chartered in 1957. He was honoured with the creation of the Louis Volks Humanitarian Award.
The Gordon’s Bay Lions Club was chartered on the 2. February 1987 by a group of 22 people with the intention to empower volunteers to serve their communities. Charter President David R. Baxter attended the anniversary celebration as well as charter member Danie Miller, who was the Mayor of Gordon’s Bay in 1987.
Club President Grant Jonathan welcomed fellow members and guests. The current number of members is mainly the same than in 1987, but today the age of the members ranges between 20 and 88 years. According to this age groups the clubs projects have an incredibly wide variety.
Project Chairperson Paula Lang than presented an overview of the various club projects. The youngest member Monqique Snyders is responsible for the clubs skills development project in Temperance Town, where the youth of the community are taught creative and life skills, senior members join shifts at the Somerset West charity shop Bargain Box, a joint venture of 5 Helderberg Lions and Rotary Clubs.
Members are involved in bigger and smaller projects ranging from the old age homes Sencit and Huis Silverjaare, the Temperance Town and Gordon’s Bay Primary Schools, Immanuels Haven, the Aanhouwen care center, CANSA, the Sir Lowry’s Pass day care centre Mila’s Angels, Gordon’s Bay’s Animal Welfare the Western Cape Down Syndrome Association, the yearly Gordon’s Bay Winter Wonderland Festival of Lights and many more.
Later on President Grant Jonathan honoured Lion Jeanette Kruger with the Dr. Louis Volks Humanitarian Award for her outstanding long year commitment to the Temperance Town Primary school library. The award recognizes dedicated and distinguished community service which exemplifies the ideals of the Association of Lions Clubs International.
Lion Rudi Andrist handed a donation of € 800 (approximately R 10800) over, he had asked his birthday guests to donate money instead of presents, this donation will go towards the clubs sport projects for youth.
The official part of the evening ended with a 15 minute wine auction performed by Lions Pieta Marè and Annette van Heerden as a fundraiser for the clubs projects with a result of R 1740.
The attentive reader might have spotted the year dates at the beginning of this article. 2017 is not only the year of anniversary and celebration for the Gordon’s Bay Lions Club. Lions are serving the community in South Africa for 60 years and Lions Clubs International with its 1.4 Million members is celebrating 100 years in service in the same breath.
If you would like to know more about Lions or would like to know how to get involved in the community, you can contact Lion Paula Lang, Phone 081 341 09 80, send an email to info@gordonsbaylions.co.za or have a look at www.facebook.com/GordonsBayLionsClub, www.gordonsbaylions.co.za or http://lions100.lionsclubs.org/EN/ for more information.