History Over 45 Years of Service to the Union County Comunity
Welcome to the Elizabeth Leones Cubanos de Union County Lions Club Website!
OVER 45 YEARS OF SERVICE
Chartered March 09, 1973
Brief History and Background of our Club
With the purpose of creating a Club that has a slogan," There can only be a Lion Club in a Free Country"; to carry on the culture and roots of the Cuban-Americans in a spirit of Service and Cooperation with all other communities in the world. With a small group of Cuban exiles, some of which had belonged to Cuba’s District-C, where we have the high honor of having the first Latin-American president, the prominent figure, Dr. Ramiro Collazo. He presided over the International Association of Lions Clubs during the period 1945 to 1946, and in 1963 decided to found the Cubans Lions Club in Exile. In 1973, our Founding President, Dr. Francisco Saavedra, found what is today as the Elizabeth Cubanos Lions (Leones Cubanos de Elizabeth,NJ). Our determination was unchanged in growing membership to levels perhaps never dreamed of by the original small group of founders. We find ourselves today as one of the Garden State’s largest Lions Club, We take into our ranks men and women of different nationalities, which make us a truly international Lions club. Since then, two prestigious members of our Club have been elected as District Governors of district 16-E, which are Ismael La Farga and Diego Santiago, Jr. , also, Lion Armando Guerra year 2018-2019 district governor for district J.
We work with countless charitable activities. We provide a respite for needy families in Union County and donate to several organizations recognized by the International in matching funds.Thereby, multiplying our donations.
We support institutions like Camp Marcella New Jersey Camp for Blind Children, Saint Joseph’s School for the Blind in Jersey City,Saint Joseph in Elizabeth and St. Catherine as well as others. We provide help and toys to the Lucky Tree run by Union County Sheriffs office.
We donate to various community churches; participate in food collections for the needy, and grant well-deserved scholarships to students from Elizabeth High School and other community schools.
Our club donates to the Eye Bank of Delaware and the Eye Bank of New Jersey. To the latter, our donations are eyes, eyesight, aid to the blind; this being the club’s main focus.
