Noon Lions Club inducts new officers
The North Fort Myers Noon Lions Club held the induction of its new officers Wednesday, June 17. Incoming president is Patty Jean Strong; Jonny Wise is first vice president; Paul Nash is second vice president; Rae Nash is the new secretary; and Ron Manchester the treasurer.
Outgoing president Al Monack ceremoniously passed on the gavel to Strong, who talked about her background and goals as incoming president.
She said education and fund-raising are her two main goals for the upcoming year, along with welcoming new members.
Last year, Strong received the Governors Achievement Award and Perfect Attendance award for the club.
“My first year as a Lion, I was treasurer and I’m currently the zone chairperson,” she said. “Florida Lions are divided into different districts; there are seven of them in the state. We are Florida District Five that covers Bradenton to Everglades City.”
Projects she’s worked on have included all fund-raisers for the club.
“That includes working the air show in Punta Gorda, an annual event,” she said. “We also hosted a Bluegrass Festival at the Shell Factory and various raffles and dinners.”
Strong said she is proud of the Lions Club heritage.
“The Lions Club was formed in 1918 by Melvin Jones, who was referred to by Helen Keller as a ‘Knight for the Blind,'” she said. “There are currently 205 countries around the world that have active Lions Clubs. We are the largest service organization in the world with approximately 1.7 million members.”
She got involved in 2005.
“When we retired and moved to Florida, I needed something to fill the extra hours,” she said.
She’s originally from Orchard Park, N.Y., where she was the director of patient financial services for various hospitals.
Today she plans on devoting her exceptional energy to the Lions organization.
“I think I like the fact that 100 percent of every dollar we earn goes back to those in need – there are no administrative costs at all,” she said.
As president, Strong said she has several goals.
“What I’m going to do as president is hopefully interest those with a few hours on their hands to come and work with the Lions,” she said. “We support the Florida Lions Camp for disabled children, we support Southeastern Guide Dogs and Paws for Patriots, among other things. We provide dogs for veterans who have come back and lost their sight.”
The variety of charitable endeavors is key to Strong.
“There are so many entities we support,” she said. “Another big one is the Florida Eye Bank and other multiple-entities with visual and hearing difficulties a main focus. We collect eyeglasses which are then refurbished and given back to the public through various eye screenings.”
The largest distribution in the large district area is held in Immokalee each year.
“We are the unsung heros of those with visual difficulties,” she said. “For example, we have four or five calls a week from seniors who need cataract surgery.”
Lions Club members then work with doctors to help.
Another personal favorite for Strong is working to fund service dogs.
“What people don’t know is how expensive it is to put a person together with a service or guide dog,” she said. “It costs about $45,000 to breed the dog, raise it, train the dog, then we bring in the unsighted person who is actually housed in a dormitory setting. Then you have to match the dog to the person as far as personalities and abilities.”
Then there is a follow-up when all of that is complete.
“It takes a lot of follow-up to get that dog and that person to work harmoniously together,” she said.
There is also a school nurse program, with North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts as a participant.
“We teamed up with the school nurse program and provide funds for them to receive specialized training, predominantly in eye care,” she continued.
If you would like to volunteer, Strong asked that you go to a club meeting, which are held at Buddy Freddy’s Restaurant the first and third Wednesdays of each month at noon, in season. During the summer there is only one meeting per month, the third Wednesday.
To verify meeting dates, call Buddy Freddy’s Country Buffet at 656-4663. The restaurant is located at 60 Pine Island Road.