At a recent meeting of the Sunshine Coast (Sechelt) Lions Club, Aldo Tacchi, Johanna Tacchi and Jan Miettinen were formally inducted into the Club. At the same meeting, Paul Adams and Jim Ferguson were presented with the Judge Brian Stevenson Award by club president Al Hailey. This award is for recognition of community involvement and great achievement and is one of the greatest honours that can be bestowed in Lions. The award must be purchased by a club or district to honour deserving individuals. Stevenson has requested that the $500 fee be used to build an endowment fund for the Lions Foundation of Canada with the annual interest supporting the dog guide program. This award has been presented to only two members of the Sunshine Coast Lions Club since its start in 1964: Dave Kimpinsky and Brian Leckie.
The highlight of the night was the presentation by District Governor (19A), Lion Eric Keller, of three Melvin Jones Fellowship Awards to three long-standing members of the Sunshine Coast Lions Club: Garry Foxall, Robert Allen and Dave Kimpinsky. This award is the most prestigious award given to Lions Club members. The award was started in 1973 and the progressive program began in 1986. There are nearly 1.5 million Lions Club members in the world and only about 387,000 with the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award. Until that night the award had been presented to only one other club member, Jim Brookes. The monies raised through the purchase of these awards goes to the Lions Clubs International Foundation and is used for humanitarian work around the world helping victims of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and hurricanes.
For more information on the Sunshine Coast Lions Club, see their award-winning website at www.sclionsclub.com or their Facebook page.
Those interested in attending a Sunshine Coast Lions Club meeting can contact Jim Brookes at [email protected]
