LIHU‘E — Over 15 Lions attended the Kaua‘i Lions Club new-officer installation ceremony at lion Jeff Venzon’s hale in Lihu‘e on Saturday.
They also celebrated five years together. It is the youngest Lions club on Kaua‘i.
Since 2016, KLC has had an annual ceremony celebrating the rotation of new officers that will be organizing upcoming community events.
Wayne Mukai will start his new role as president on July 1, and said he is looking forward to it. “It will be fun,” Mukai said. “Good teamwork. We’re gonna have some incentives for our Lions to bring in more members. Also, we will be having service projects, hopefully, the blind dining again, and I wouldn’t mind doing the Lydgate cleanup.”
Debra Thompson, a retired state worker, is the club’s new secretary. “I still need to learn what all my duties are going to be, (but) I’m assuming it’ll be the primary ones would be creating the agenda, taking minutes and making sure that communication goes out to all the membership,” Thompson said. “And we’re going to be using a three-fold” communication strategy. “We’re going to be doing emailing, texting and our social media.”
For those interested in joining the club, Thompson said to contact any of the Lions.
“Then we would love to have you join us on either a social project or a service project, and so you can get to meet everyone else you could get a feel if it’s a good match for you,” Thompson said.
Other officers installed were Dawnie Peralta, treasurer; James Whitfield, the Lions Club International Foundation coordinator; Vonn Ramos, membership chairperson; Jeff Venzon, vice president; Leona Perez, director; and Muriah Moises, service chairperson.
Outgoing president Ramos gave everyone a lei and a speech about Hawaiian values.
He said Lions should pursue “any type of situation that we can make people’s lives better. So just wanted to honor our work this year, and continue to light the way, as we have a new user ship coming in, and that we continue our membership, kokua, and also to bring in additional members that will join us and continue to spread that light. So thank you all for this year.”
w Info: e-clubhouse.org/sites/kauai/.
•••
Stephanie Shinno, education and business reporter, can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.