History | Past Presdients | Melvin Jones Fellows |
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History
The Punta Gorda Lions Club was Chartered in 1966. Lion George Wright served as our Charter President.
Early Club fund raising activities included White Cane Day, Lions Candy Day and various Community Service Projects, such as the Block Party and the Downtown Civic Association events.
In 1992, we formed the Punta Gorda Lions Foundation so as to receive tax-exempt donations. Our primary donors included Ann Schraeder, Lions Bobbie Ress, June Weimer and Bernie Recker, plus support from various corporate and local foundations. The proceeds from our Foundations’s investments and member donations have allowed us to award significant College Scholarships, now named for Mrs. Schraeder, and various community organizations such as Peace River Wildlife Center. We have also supported the various Lions entities in Florida, including the Florida Lions Foundation for the Blind, Southeastern Guide Dogs, Lions Cronklin Center and the Florida Eye Banks
Several years later we purchased our “Food Wagon” and it went everywhere dispensing pancakes, hamburgers and fries. This was also the time of our aluminum can recycling project.
In 2001, Lion Bob Runyon assembled a Volunteer Team of nine Doctors and Surgeons who subsequently traveled to the Jungles of Panama, to provide Eye Care for the members of the Embera Indian Tribe. The Emberas are indigenous to the Jungles of Panama and live very primitively. During the trip, the Team performed 40 Cataract Surgeries in less than a week.
In 2013, Lion Bob Whipple suggested we look into forming a Leo Club at Charlotte High School. Lion Bob sponsored the Club, which is named is named in memory of his son, Jim. The Whipple Chapter now exists through the super dedication of their Adviser Marie Hochsprung and members of the Lions.
However, the most significant accomplishment of the Punta Gorda Lions Club during the past 53 years is the service we have brought to our Community. Eye Exams and Eye Glasses number in the tens of thousands, as do Hearing and Vision treatments, all provided by the dedication and hard work of our members and volunteers.
“WE SERVE"