Charter Dinner Is Roaring Success

There were Lions roaming Bell Boulevard recently, but nobody called animal control.

A crowd of nearly 100 packed the banquet rooms of Bourbon Street Tuesday evening to witness with pride the chartering of the Bayside-Whitestone Lions Club.

“What a great night it is,” said charter president Paul Vallone. “We have reached about 75 new members,” he added.

The new group joins over 44,500 clubs and more than 1.3 million members worldwide, who share the motto: “We serve.”

Vallone said that the club would support many local charities and community initiatives.

The list of intended recipients includes Chrissy’s Wish — an organization affiliated with The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (formerly NARSAD, the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression) — dedicated to Christina Rossi, a 26-year-old Great Neck resident who succumbed to bipolar disorder and took her own life in 2006.

According to Vallone, the Lions also plan to support the work of community organizations in the 109th and 111th precincts, in addition to taking part in numerous charitable tasks spearheaded by Lions Clubs across the U.S. and around the world.

“It’s all about community involvement,” Vallone vowed, adding “We already have about $7,500 for scholarships.”

Founded on June 7, 1917 by Chicago businessman Melvin Jones, Lions Clubs in some 206 countries engage in community service and charitable works with all public fundraising going to service projects that have operating budgets funded exclusively by members.

Since 1925, when visually and hearing impaired activist Helen Keller charged the organization to become “knights for the blind,” the organization has focused on combating blindness, eyeglass collection for the poor, sponsoring guide dogs and hospital funding.

Other charitable efforts have aided the impoverished and disaster victims around the world.

At Tuesday's event, several members of the former Whitestone Lions Club, which went defunct in the mid-1970s, brought memorabilia from their group to place in the custody of the new and vibrant club.

The first regular meeting of the club will be on Wednesday, September 7, at the law offices of Vallone & Vallone, 25-59 Francis Lewis Boulevard in Bayside. For more information, call 718-428-7285.