Grand Island Group Page Form

Grand Island Lions Club
2007-2008 News Page
Box 71, Grand Island, NY 14072

Grand Island Lions Club Official Website

International Website

Previous Lions Club News Page 2000-2006

Local people with a concern for helping others
are the people who join the Lions Club.

Club President Shelia Ferrentino (716) 863-9592
Membership Chairman Tom Rusert (716) 773-2439

Mission: We Serve" is the Lions' Motto. The mission of the Grand Island Lions Club is to help those in need in our community with special emphasis on the vision and hearing impaired, and children with disabilities. Major fundraisers include a spaghetti dinner in the spring and a "White Cane" drive in August. Our major event is the "Special Kids Picnic" in July when over one thousand special needs children from the Erie-Niagara area are treated to a picnic that includes a lunch along with boat rides, pony rides, and other entertainment. We also perform MTI Photo-screening of children's eyes (for early detection of eye disease) coordinated through the local school systems. In addition we collect eyeglasses and hearing aids for the disadvantaged and have a "loan closet" for distribution of walkers, wheelchairs and other durable goods. Our Club is also active in a number of drives both locally and internationally to help the vision impaired. Our Club also recognizes the importance of youth in our community. We participate annually in a Peace Poster Contest, which encourages our middle-school age children to creatively express their concept of world peace. We award scholarships to high school graduates, based on their community involvement, scholastic achievements and other criteria.

Events: Special Childrens' Picnic at the Buffalo Launch Club on the second Wednesday in July each year and the Annual Spaghetti Dinner at the Holiday Inn, date to be announced. The Lions Club has a loan closet with wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches and other equipment which we loan free to those in need.

Lions Club Hosts 50th Annual Special Childrens Picnic - 2008

(right) Island resident Alyson Czerwonka visits with Twinky while waiting to see her sister perform with the Niagara Experience Players.

(right) Island resident Molly McMahon and her student get ready for a boat ride.
Jodi Robinson Photos
July 16, 2008 . . .Fifty years ago the Lion's Club started an annual event to bring some happiness to the special children of Western New York. Every year 1200-1500 handicapped children and their counselors come to the Buffalo Launch Club on Grand Island and spend the day being entertained. The children are treated to boat rides, pony rides, small truck rides and face painting. Clowns and a dressed up dog named Twinky roamed the grounds bringing smiles to all attendees' faces. For lunch, hot dogs, hamburgers, soft drinks and popcorn were available in abundance. The not-for-profit "Niagara Experience Players" performed songs and dances for the entertainment of everyone.

Lions Club 50th Annual "Special Kids Picnic July 16, 2008
The Grand Island Lions Club's 50th Annual "Special Kids Picnic will take place at the Buffalo Launch Club from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, 2008. Over 1000 special needs children from the Erie-Niagara area are treated to a picnic that includes a lunch along with boat rides, pony rides, and other entertainment. For information on the "Special Kids Picnic," contact the co-Chairman, Lion Mike Steinagel, at (716) 713-6205 or email to msteinag@ycp.edu.

Lions Club Seeks Seeks Student Help - April 2008
The Lion's Club is looking for students who would like to put in community service time by helping with set up for the Lions Club Spaghetti Dinner on Monday, April 14, 2008. Those interested in participating should arrive at the Holiday Inn Grand Island at 10 a.m., Monday and should be done by 12 noon.

Lions Club Spaghetti Dinner - 2008
Members of the Grand Island Lions Club will hold their 39th Annual Spaghetti Dinner from 5-8 p.m. on Monday, April 14, 2008 in the Holiday Inn Ballroom. Ticket prices: $7/Adults, $4/children 5 – 12 years old. A Chinese Basket Raffle, Bake Sale and recognition of the Boat captains for the Special Kids picnic will be held. For ticket information contact any Lions Club member or call Lion Dick Crawford at 773-4121.

Lions Club Sponsors Sunday Blood Drive - Feb. 2008
The Grand Island Lions Club will sponsor a blood drive on Sunday, February 24, 2008. It will be held at St. Timothy's Church, 1453 Staley Road [at Stony Point Road], from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. The blood drive will be conducted by Upstate New York Transplant Services [UNYTS], which is located in Buffalo. This independent blood bank provides blood to Buffalo area hospitals at a reasonable cost savings. A unique feature of this regional blood bank is that blood donated through UNYTS stays in Erie and Niagara Counties. This enables local residents in need of trans-fusions to benefit directly from your donations. The Grand Island Lions Club would like you to consider giving blood on Sunday, February 24th. Give the Gift of Life. Contact Lion Paul Bassette at 773-1367 if you would like to sign up for a time slot.

Lions Club's 3rd Annual Sight Night - 2007
The Grand Island Lions Club will host its third annual Sight Night on Halloween night, Wednesday, October 31. While they are trick-or-treating, children are encouraged to collect used eyeglasses and hearing aids for distribution to the poor nationally and around the world. Over 2,000 eyeglasses and 20 hearing aids have been collected since Sight Night was started on the Island! Children and their parents can bring their collections to the Tops Playground anytime between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Halloween night. Refreshments will be served. For more information and a collection kit, contact Lion Tom Witkowski, Sight Chair, at 773-4437 or liontom20n@roadrunner.com.

Lions Donate to Library - Sept. 2007

The Grand Island Lions have once again made a generous donation to the Grand Island Memorial Library. The gift of large print books is a valuable resource for our community. With a focus on aiding sight and hearing impaired individuals, this is an 18-year tradition for the Lions Club. Over $7,500 has been given to date. Pictured from left are Lion Norm Hahn (President 2006-07), Lions Treasurer Al Ackerman, Library Director Lynn Alan Konovitz, Grand Island Lion Club President Shelia Ferrentino and Lion Dick Crawford, Assistant Treasurer.

Lions Welcome New Member - Sept. 2007

   Judge Mark Frentzel was welcomed as a new member of the Grand Island Lions Club after a ceremony at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center on Wednesday September 12, 2007. Shown with his sponsor, Dick Crawford, he was inducted by Paul Bassett as club members looked on. The Lions motto is "We Serve." Questions regarding membership may be directed to Tom Rusert, Membership Chair at 716 773-2439.

Lions Club Hosts 49th Annual Special Childrens Picnic - 2007

(Right photo) volunteers Mary Gates, Paula Callahan and Sally Tsikalas.

(Left) Entertainment by Niagara Experience Players; (right) Bob DeGlopper, Richard Crawford, Mary Cooke and Dan Morabito
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Jodi Robinson Photos
   July 18, 2007 . . .Members of the Grand Island Lions Club, with assistance from several other Island organizations, hosted their annual Special Children's Picnic on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 at the Buffalo Launch Club. The Lions Club has offered this event every year since 1959. Between 1200-1500 handicapped children and their counselors were treated to boat rides, pony rides, face painting, hamburgers, hot dogs and soft drinks along with many other fun activities.
   Also featured was an appearance by the Niagara Experience Players. The not-for-profit Niagara County organization of young people was formed over thirty years ago and is geared to youngsters ranging in age from 8-18 who perform choreography and vocals during their shows.

Lions Club "Walk For Sight" - 2007

   The Lions Clubs of Western New York invites you to take a "Walk For Sight" Saturday, April 21, 2007 along the Ellicott Creek Trailway adjacent to the Amherst Pepsi Center, 1615 Amherst Manor Drive, Williamsville, NY. Registration will be located just inside the Center's main entrance and will begin at 10 a.m. with the walk starting at 11 a.m. Participants can walk any distance up to 3.4 miles on the well-marked Trailway. After the walk, refreshments and food will be available in the Sky Box rooms on the second floor of the Pepsi Center. An elevator is available for the handicapped.
   The Lions are in the midst of Campaign SightFirst II, a global initiative to raise $200 million for our blindness prevention and sight retention efforts around the world. Thirty-seven million people are blind with 80% losing their vision needlessly. With current growth, 41 million more individuals will lose their sight by 2020. We have pledged not to allow this to happen. Eleven adults and one child lose their sight forever every minute. Please help us in this cause - every donation will be welcomed!
   For more information about the Walk and how you can help, call 716-773-4437, email at 20nwalkforsight@adelphia.net or visit our website at www.district20nlions.org and click on the Walk For Sight logo.

Lions Club Spaghetti Dinner - March 2007
The Lions Club's 37th Annual Spaghetti Dinner will take place at the Holiday Inn Ballroom from 5-8 p.m. Monday, March 12, 2007. This major Lions fundraiser supports the annual Special Kids Picnic at the Bufalo Launch Club. Cost of the dinners are Adults/$7.00, Childern 5 - 12/$4.00, Under 5 FREE. The event will feature a Chinese Auction, Bake Sale and Face Painting. For more information contact Lion Dick Crawford at 774-4121.

If you are a member of this organization, we need your help. GIECOM.Net has partnered with the Connections program to help Grand Island as a community "Get it Together." Please visit our website G-I-Together.ORG and fill out our SURVEY. Every group on Grand Island will have its own FREE web page showing: meeting times and location, contact persons, your Mission Statement and a listing of events. We will also be linking your news events that appear in the local media and on IsledeGrande.Com, Grand Island's E-News Source, to your page, maintaining an archived journal of pictures and news. This is the perfect opportunity for your group to connect with potential new members and the community.