lionsintro

LIONS CLUB OF VALLEY EAST

Valley East Lions Club

The Lion's Den

FIRST ANNUAL LIONS CLUB OF VALLEY EAST CHARITY DAYS WILL BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 8 & 9

"Keeping The Spirit Alive" in Valley East is one of the definite outcomes that this town can use when the Lions of Valley East host their First Annual Charity Days on September 8 and 9.

Marcel Servais, Chair of the Charity Days Committee, shown on the right, met recently with Robert Kirwan, Marketing Manager of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre to discuss details of the event and make plans on how to incorporate the merchants of the mall in the effort.

"Our main goal is to work with as many of the local charities as possible to help them raise some money for their organization," Marcel explained. "Each of our activities will be dedicated to a different charity and all of the money raised from that event will be donated to the charity."

The Charity Days will actually begin on Thursday, September 7, 2006 with the opening night of the Valley East Idol Competition at Buddies' Restaurant.

The scene moves to the Centennial Arena in Hanmer Friday night with a Teen Dance on the main ice surface.

Saturday is filled with activities for the entire family. The day will start off with a Councillors' Charity Breakfast and finish off with a Cancer Fighter Benefit Dance and a fireworks display after dark. The 2006 Sports Hall of Fame Induction, Spaghetti Dinner, finals of the Valley East Idol Competition, Easter Seals Penny Table, and a ton of other activities and events will keep everyone busy for the whole day.

"We are really excited about this format. It will involve every section of the community, including charities, churches and schools. Each group will help in whatever way they can, but the members of the Lions Club will be doing the "lion's share" of the work.," Marcel continued.

Kirwan, who is also running for the position of Councillor for Ward 6 - Hanmer and Val Therese, has been a strong supporter of anything that will bring the community together and raise the spirit level of local residents. "I think this is a great example of what the Lions Club of Valley East adds to the qualify of life of residents. This will definitely bring the community together and it will give each of the charities a chance to increase their exposure as well as generate much-needed funds. I hope everyone gets behind the Lions Club of Valley East Charity Days and makes this one of the biggest events in the history of our town."

Marcel invites anyone who is interested in helping out or who has ideas or suggestions to offer to come to one of their organizational meetings which are held at the Lions Den in Hanmer on the last Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m.

More details will be forthcoming in the coming months.

Valley East Lions Club Presents Money To Local Charity Groups That Helped Make First Annual Lions Charity Days A Huge Success

Marcel Servais, shown fourth from the left, is shown with some of the representatives from the charities that participated in the First Annual Valley East Lions Club Charity Days which was held on September 9, 2006. Each of the charities was presented with the proceeds from their respective sponsored events.

From the left we have: Mary Bertrand (St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank); Stephanie Richard (Our Children, Our Future): Muriel Anderson (Sudbury Regional Palliative Care Association); Marcel Servais (Chair of the Valley East Lions Charity Days); Angela Paquin (Sudbury Regional Palliative Care Association); Mary Lou and Bob Bolger (Kin Club of Valley East); Dawn (Our Children, Our Future); and Sylvie Demore (Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and sponsor of the Teen Dance). Other charities that were missing from the photo included: The Easter Seal Society, Confederation Secondary School Travelling Group, and the Good Neighbours Food Bank.

Rolly & Yvonne Albert are two people who are perfect examples of the type of person who becomes a Lion. Rolly has been a member of the Sudbury Lions Club for over 25 years. His wife, Yvonne, has been a member of the Valley East Lions Club for the past ten years. Rolly is an Associate Member of the Valley East Lions Club by virtue of his wife's membership. The two dedicated members can be seen often during the year volunteering to work on behalf of initiatives of their respective clubs. Here they are shown selling tickets for the spaghetti dinner during the First Annual Valley East Lions Charity Days which was held on September 9, 2006. Rolly is also a Past Governor of District A5 which covers all of Northern Ontario.

Valley East Lions Charity Days Kicks Off The Day With Popular Pancake Breakfast Sponsored by Desjardins' Food Basics

Ken Desjardins, owner of Desjardins' Food Basics, is shown getting his plate filled with pancakes and sausages at the Councillor's Breakfast on Saturday, September 9 as part of the Valley East Lions Charity Days. Desjardins' Food Basics provided all of the food for the breakfast while the proceeds of the ticket sales went to Our Children - Our Future. Handing out the food were, from the left, Kristine Lescault and Meagan O'Gorman. Kristine is taking a double-major in French and English at Laurentian University and hopes to one day become a teacher. Meagan is in the Child Youth Worker program at Cambrian College.

Local Ambassadors for the Easter Seal Society Deliver Powerful Message During Valley East Lions Charity Days

Lisa Lounsbury, District Manager of the Sudbury Branch of the Easter Seal Society, is shown in the photo below with the two Ambassadors for 2006 as they spoke during the Valley East Lions Charity Days Event held on September 9, 2006 at the Centennial Arena.

Tanya Quesnel, a nine year old, Grade 5 student at Jean Sauve School and twelve-year old Sylvain Labelle, a Grade 7 student at Ecole St. Therese of Val Therese, spoke on behalf of the Easter Seal Society, encouraging visitors to support the fight for a cure.

The two children attend numerous public events during the year as spokespersons for the Easter Seal Society.

Cammie Thibert was in charge of Face Painting during the Valley East Lions Charity Days while volunteering with the Our Children Our Future booth. Here she is shown decorating up her own face prior to opening up for the kids who were in attendance during the event.

Helene Belzile Wins Trip To Cuba In Valley East Lions' Charity Days Contest

	Valley East Lions' Charity Days Trip for 2 to CUBA!!!! (+$500 in spending cash)
All summer long, people from around the area have been given combinations that might have opened one of sixteen locks that were on display by local merchants. The final seven locks were on display at the Centennial Arena where people were able to try one more time to see if they qualified for the finals. The line above is indicative of the popularity of this contest. Helene Belzile was the eventual winner of the Trip To Cuba when she held the winning combination during the Saturday evening dance held at Centennial Arena on September 9, 2006. Helene obtained her winning combination from Be-You-Tiful-You and opened the lock at ECO Water. The Patio Set winner was Claude Berthiaume.

Tom Guthrie Wins 2006 Pontiac Wave As Grand Prize Winner In Valley East Lions Club Draw

Rolly Albert, on the left, and Roger Brideau, two long-time members of the Valley East Lions Club, spent many hours selling tickets at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on a brand new 2006 Pontiac Wave automobile that Tom Guthrie, with ticket #751, will enjoy driving for the next several years or more.

The draw was held in conjunction with the Valley East Charity Days Event which will took place on Saturday, September 9, 2006 at the Centennial Arena.

Less than 1200 tickets were sold on the automobile at only $20 each, making this one of the best chances of the year for such a draw. The proceeds from the sale of the tickets will be donated to several local parishes in Valley East.

Every 100th ticket also produced $50 in cash for the holder. Those winning numbers were: 1000; 1142; 493; 727; 639; 119; 915; 566; 930; 775; and 789

Valley East Lions Club Celebrating 40th Anniversary On June 9, 2007

The first President of the Valley East Lions Club, Stanley Boivin, is shown in the above picture demonstrating his unique curling style. Unfortunately, Stanley is no longer with us, having gone on to join the his fellow Lions in the eternity, but his spirit lives on among the dozens of Lions who continue the legacy of the club he lead for two years from 1967 to 1969. There is no doubt that his name will be mentioned many times when the Valley East Lions Club celebrate their 40th Anniversary on June 9, 2007 at the Golden Age Club in Hanmer.

Lion Roger Brideau, Past President from 1977 to 1978, invites all former and current members of the community to join their fellow Lions in this special celebration. The cost is only $25 a ticket and you can contact Roger at 969-2803 for more information on how to get your ticket.

Stanley Boivin was part of a group of thirty civic-minded individuals who met in February 1967 to form the Valley of Hanmer Lions Club. They later changed the name of the club to the Valley East Lions Club Inc. Stan was elected as the Charter President.

The Valley East Lions Club has been instrumental in the development and growth of such community projects as the Centennial Arena, the Valley Medical Centre, the Valley East Transit System, the Blezard Valley Cemetery, the Valley East Fire Department, the Greater Sudbury Regional Police Service's K-9 Unit, Valley East Days, the MCTV Lions Telethon, the Lion's Senior Supper, and the list goes on and on.

Many of the members have served on Cabinet as District Officers, Committee Chairs and District Governors.

Some of the club's most recent and prominent accomplishments include the Valley East Lions Heritage Sound Studio at Confederation Secondary School, the new Lions' storage shed which is home to hundreds of health and welfare items available for loan to the needy community members, and the Valley East Charity Days, held every September.

While not all of the members spouses are Lions, many of them are committed to the club and have put in countless volunteer hours in helping the members prepare and deliver their fundraising and community service programs.

The Charter Night Committee is chaired by Lion Roger Brideau. Other members of the committee include: Lion Jake Newfeld, Lion Rolly Albert, Lion Leanne Tucker, Lion Roger Lefebvre, Lion Roger Lariviere, and Lion Sonya Guillet.

Valley East Lions Club Officially Opens Storage Building To Complete Re-Construction of Lions' Den

On Saturday June 17, 2006, the Valley East Lions' Club held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the storage building to complete the re-construction of the new Lions' Den which replaced the former structure which was destroyed by heavy snow several years ago. Doing the honours of cutting the ribbon were both Ward 3 Councillors, Andre Rivest and Ron Dupuis, who were instrumental in helping secure funding from the City of Greater Sudbury for this project. Others in the group included, from the left: Past District Governor, Roger Brideau; Incoming President, Doug Christink; Andre Rivest; Ron Dupuis; Past District Governor, Rolly Albert; Outgoing President, Roger Lariviere; and Past District Governor, Barry Brett.

The Incoming President, Doug Cristink, shown on the left in front of the Past Presidents Plaque, takes up the leadership of the 41-member group for a one year term beginning on July 1, 2006. He will replace Roger Lariviere, who officiated at the Annual President's Appreciation Award Night held on June 17, 2006 at the Lion's Den. The Valley East Lions' Club has a proud tradition dating back to 1967 when Stan Boivin became the founding President.

With a focus on Health & Welfare, the club has provided financial assistance and other support to countless groups, organizations and individuals over the years. The new storage facility that was opened in the photo above will hold a large number of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and other medical equipment, including hospital beds which may be needed from time to time by local residents. The Lions loan out this equipment free of charge to anyone for as long as they need it. All you have to do is call the Lions Den at 969-4076 and leave a message.