SMPP Lions Community Projects

PAL Event - Memorial Park, Santa Monica, CA

August 11, 2026

The annual Back-to-School event at PAL was heartwarming and well-organized. The SM community gathered to equip local students with essential school supplies while fostering strong, positive connections with the community, and with the Santa Monica Police Department.

The SMPP Lions Club table was manned by Service Chair Brian Ransom, President Carol Ann Emmitt, new member Ken Cleveland, and Lion friend, Jane Birman.  We passed out $10.00 gift cards for school related items at Target, individually wrapped UV400, shatterproof, and polarized sunglasses in 12 different colors, keychains with hanging charms attached to them, and a wide assortment of fun stickers. We were very popular with the kids!  It was interesting to watch how the girls spent time weeding through the items before gracefully taking what they liked best, while the boys took what was on top and felt just as happy with their take-away.