What a great time to be a Lion!

The Bremerton Central Lions Club is embarking on our 96th year of service to our local community. We have had a rich history of service and significant contributions to Bremerton and our surrounding areas. I’m looking forward to the coming year as your newly elected “King Lion” as we continue to meet needs and promote service in our local community, throughout the region, and across the globe.

The theme I have chosen for my year as leader of the club is “Friendship through Service.” This theme reflects my two priorities for our year. First and foremost is our commitment as Lions to serve our community. If you’ve been around Lions very long, you have heard it said that “where there is a need, there’s a Lion.” This statement reflects our commitment as Lions to serve. As Lions, we look for opportunities to serve our communities and to help those in need. Our club, The Bremerton Central Lions, has led the way for many services and outreach projects to help the poor, assist those who are blind or disabled, and contributed significant support to sponsor community improvement projects. Our heritage as servants to the community is rich and long-standing.

Much of the service we do as a club is more than what just a few individuals can accomplish. When we come together, with a focus on service and a commitment to better our community we continue to do great things! We are more than just the sum of our parts.

Our commitment to service produces results. We can point to so many benefits of our Lions Club to our community; sight restored, the hungry fed, youth educated, and so many needs met. One of the byproducts of service to our community is the friendships cultivated by serving together. Some of my first friendships formed as a newcomer to Bremerton have resulted from service projects hosted by the Bremerton Central Lions Club. I have clear memories of riding around in the pickup, collecting and filling propane bottles for the pancake breakfast with Lion Sam. As we drove around, Sam shared with me what it meant for him to be a Lion, he shared some history, but most importantly, he spoke of lifelong friendships. Sam talked of travel as a Lion, service to the community, and fellow lions who had been there for him in difficult times.

As Lions, when we serve together, we build friendships. It’s a natural byproduct. I’m looking forward to many opportunities to serve and to make new friendships this year. Your Board of Directors is planning several events to help us socialize and get to know each other and service projects to help our community. Please join me in embracing our theme for the year of “Friendship through Service.”

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to impact the work of Lions and communities around the world, creating financial hardships for Lions and the people we care for.

To support the incredible men and women serving with us, the International Board of Directors passed another resolution to help our clubs in the new Lion year.

Here is an overview of the new resolution approved by the board of directors:

• Charter and entrance fees waiver – We have waived all charter and entrance fees from July 1 through December 31, 2021. Charter and entrance fees are also currently waived through June 30, 2021.

These additional measures will help Lions facing financial hardships and give our clubs the support and encouragement they need during these challenging times. For more than a century, Lions have taken on the greatest challenges facing humanity, and together, we will overcome this.

The world needs Lions now more than ever, so thank you for your outstanding service and commitment to our communities and the world.

Regards,

Dr. Jung-Yul Choi
International President

JR Kinnison led us through a very successful year, even though we were hampered by the COVID virus. The following graphic indicates the information that was forwarded to Lions International on the accomplishments of the Bremerton Central Lions club this past year.

Well done, Lions, and BRAVO ZULU. Submitted by Jim Lamb.

July 10: Deb Richardson

July 15: Margie Torbron

July 15: Patty Wagner

July 19: Jim Adrian

July 28: Henry Marcotte