The Carrollton Evening Lions Club (CELC), part of Lions Clubs International’s District 2-X1, conducted its 30th Annual Officer Installation Ceremony on June 22, 2013, at La Hacienda Ranch in Carrollton, Texas.
CELC’s 2013-2014 officers include: Veronica B. Marks, Lewisville, president; Richard Kaiser, Carrollton, first vice president; Joe Garbarini, Plano, second vice president; Paula Randall, Carrollton, secretary; John McGinnis, Carrollton, treasurer; Bob Makowski, Carrollton, director (one year remaining); Nancy Smith, Carrollton, director (two years); Dan Gilbert, Carrollton, Lion tamer; and Ted Bachta, Carrollton, tail twister.
CELC’s 2013-2014 committee chairs include: Richard Kaiser, Membership; Veronica B. Marks, Projects; Nancy Smith, Programs; Dan Gilbert, Eyeglasses; Joe Montag, Carrollton, Visitations; and Paula Randall, Eye Clinics.
Other members of CELC’s Board of Directors include: George Levisky, Carrollton, immediate past president; Joe L. Montag, life director, past president, past council chairman, and past district governor; Dale Massey, Carrollton, life director, past president and past district governor; Frank Pickens II, Dallas, life director, past president and past district governor; and Joseph M. Gerhart, Fredericksburg, Va., life director and past district governor.
ABOUT CELC
Since our inception in October 1983, the men and women of the Carrollton Evening Lions Club have been serving our community and lending assistance to our neighbors in need. We have worked on a variety of service projects in Carrollton, as well as throughout the Metrocrest and in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Lewisville independent school districts.
Some CELC service projects have included: providing free vision clinics for local school children; collecting used prescription eyeglasses for refurbishment and redistribution; building wheelchair ramps for those in need; providing magic shows and movies for children; cleaning up the community during “Keep Carrollton Beautiful” work days; sponsoring physically challenged children at the Texas Lions Camp in Kerrville; assisting visually impaired children at the Sports Extravaganza in Irving; hosting youth from abroad through the J.C. Hyer Lions Youth Camp; supporting local charities such as the Ryan Dant Foundation, Mosaic, and Metrocrest Social Services Center; providing bicycles and protective vests to the Carrollton Police Department; providing medical equipment to the Carrollton Fire Department; and more!
Fundraising efforts also support Lions Clubs International Foundation, Lions World Services for the Blind, Lions Sight & Tissue Foundation, J.C. Hyer Lions Youth Camp, Leader Dogs for the Blind, Texas Lions Foundation, and Texas Lions Camp.
CELC is one of the most active Lions Clubs in Texas District 2-X1 -- a large geographic area that covers Dallas, up to Allen, across to Commerce, down to Maybank, across to Ennis, over to Waxahachie, and back to Dallas.
CELC presently meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 6 p.m. at Mama's Daughters' Diner in West Plano on Hebron/Park at Midway. If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work helping the less fortunate within our community, please join us at our next regular meeting. For more information or to get involved, contact Veronica B. Marks at (972) 899-3204.
ABOUT LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL
Lions Clubs International is the largest service club organization in the world. Our 1.35 million members in more than 46,000 clubs are serving communities in 207 countries and geographical areas around the globe. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired, championed youth initiatives and strengthened local communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit www.lionsclubs.org.