To celebrate the holidays, the Santa Monica Pacific Palisades Lions Club hosted their annual Salvation Army fundraiser. Members attending had the pleasure of meeting Lts. James & Katrina Fleming, the 8-month-old baby girl they’re fostering and Noah Weiner, their Corps Assistant. It was a delightful evening with Lt. James sharing his personal journey and experiences as part of the Salvation Army. He also detailed projects and activities that the Santa Monica Corps is currently doing. To conclude the evening everyone joined in singing Christmas carols, accompanied by Lion Cara on the piano. We are happy to report that the evening generated $3600, not including credit card receipts, for the Salvation Army!
With the newest variant of Covid, Omicron, the SMPP Lions have decided to return to Zoom for the month of January and then take it on a month-by-month basis. We have been fortunate our members remain healthy so far and see no reason to let up on our diligence now. Sadly, this also means our merger celebration and Valentine’s event have been put on hold as well. If you are hoping to visit a Lions meeting this year, we ask that you first call Kingsley at 310-454-2960 or email Yoriko at santamonicalion@gmail.com to confirm if the meeting is at the Elks Lodge or on Zoom.
We are not letting this latest Covid development keep our club from moving forward. The student speaker contest is still scheduled for February 9th, addressing the relevant topic – How Can Kindness Unite Our Country. The contest will be at the Elks Lodge on Pico at 6 p.m. RSVP to Kingsley at 310-454-2960.
We are also working on finding new ways to serve the community, preparing to review senior essays for the SAMO High scholarships we award each year, and continuing the long-standing tradition of supporting the Palisades Village Green. In support of those efforts, we are also exploring new fundraising activities to replace our pancake breakfast.
If you are looking for new volunteer opportunities on the Westside, ways to meet new people or becoming part of an organization that is making a lasting impact around the world, please consider being a Lion. We meet in-person on the second Wednesday of each month (with the exception of this month), with dinner and a speaker. We hold board meetings the 4th Wednesday of each month. Since these are business meetings, all SMPP members are welcome to attend. Both meetings are at 6 pm. If you are interested in learning more contact Yoriko Fisher, at santamonicalion@gmail.com, or Kingsley Fife at 310-454-2960.
