Nov/Dec 2022: SABN Lions Club ends the year with service cheer!

Happy New Year!

As our club begins a new year, we want to take some time to reflect on the end of 2022 and our holiday-inspired activities.

We started November with our first major fundraiser. We were able to raise much-needed funds that allowed us to fulfill several of our holiday initiatives. Thank you to those who donated items to the auction and bid on items! The money raised will help us do more in 2023.

A highlight of the year was participating in the annual United States Military Veterans Parade in San Antonio. The parade took place on Saturday, November 12, 2022. We entered the parade as a trailer float. We had 18 military veterans on the float that paraded them through the downtown route, led by our club members who carried our club banner. In addition, we were excited to have two members from the Edgewood Lions Club. All involved loved the experience, and we have already started planning for next year’s parade. It was beautiful to be able to show our appreciation for our veterans! Our Club Marketing Chair, Martin Padron Jr., created a fantastic video that can be watched HERE.

Next up, our club provided a home-cooked Friendsgiving meal to the LGBTQ+ youth living at the Thrive Youth Center on November 19, 2022. Several of our members took time to cook their holiday favorites of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, corn, and pies. Our members delivered all these dishes along with decorations to make it a truly festive occasion for the residents. A movie snack bar was also provided with popcorn, sodas, and movie candies.

November ended with our club donating several bags of bottle caps and can tabs to Marsil Padron, the Queen of District B3 Mexico. This donation is delivered to Alianza Anticáncer Infantil in Monterrey, Mexico, where it is weighed and exchanged for no-cost chemotherapy sessions that benefit children needing treatment. The more we collect, the more weight, the more sessions. This will be a continued effort for our club to participate throughout Marsil’s reign.

December was a fun-filled month of service. We started with members and potential members volunteering their time at the Fabulous GED Holiday Brunch event on December 3, 2022. Our members were happy to lend a helping hand by selling Fiesta Medals at registration and guiding guests with the online payment system. This event raises money to support non-traditional students seeking a high school equivalency diploma. This year the event exceeded its goal by raising $100,000.

Our December club meeting was about celebrating our year and enjoying each other’s company. We celebrated with special guests from the Katy Lions Club, including our Associate Member and Katy Lions President, Rev. David Greene. We were also joined by Marsil Padron, Queen of District B3 Mexico, and Sylvia Padron, Vice President of Morelos Coahuila Lions Club. Our main initiative for the month was collecting toys to distribute to children in Coahuila, Mexico, through our cross-border collaboration. We presented over 100 toys to Marsil and Sylvia during our holiday meeting and celebration.

On December 17, 2022, club members met at Fort Sam Houston Cemetery to place holiday wreaths on veterans’ gravesites as part of Wreaths Across America. We spent 2 hours working with other volunteers to place 40,000 wreaths throughout the cemetery. It was a moving experience that our members were honored to be part of.

On December 26, 2022, Vice President Ann Islas and Treasurer Martin Padron Jr. traveled to Mexico as part of the cross-border collaboration with Marsil Padron, Queen of District B3 Mexico. They helped distribute over 130 toys, including those our club donated earlier in the month, to the children of Coahuila, Mexico. It was such a heartwarming event to see the smiles on the children’s faces.

What a way to end 2022! Thank you to all our supporters for their commitment to spreading love and warmth this year. You helped us bring smiles to those who need it the most. Our club is successful with the help of others who see the importance of our mission. We are proud of our work and look forward to a delightful and productive 2023.

Click HERE for more photos.