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Lions Club elects new board for 2013-2014

The Lions Club of Pago Pago have met to elect a board for the new Lion year 2013-2014.

Chris King, who has been president of the club once before (2008-2009) and also served the club as Zone Chairman following his year as president, has been elected once again to the position at the head of the Lions- who enjoy referring to him as “Lion King.”

The new board is constituted as follows, and will hold their induction ceremony this summer:

President- Chris King

1st V.P. — Evelyn Lili’o Satele

2nd V.P. — Willie Teleso

3rd V.P. — Tony Langkilde

Secretary — Caroline Rising Maxey

Treasurer — Archie Soliai

Membership Director: Mike Sala

Director- 1 year: Dr. Ernest Oo

Director- 1 year: Tafa Tupuola

Tailtwister — Teri Hunkin

Lion Tamer — Fiu John Saelua

Immediate Past President: Isabel Hudson

Incoming Zone Chair: Isabel Hudson

The election follows some busy months for the Lions, who conducted a successful Eye Care outreach in Alao in March, where they were able to provide vision screening for residents of the eastern district, and where they distributed hundreds of reading glasses and sunglasses to those who took advantage of the Lions visit. Eye exams, medication and follow-up visits, some recommending surgeries, were provided by LBJ head of Ophthalmology, Dr. Ernest Oo, a longtime resident and member of the Lions Club.

In April, the Lions came to the TAOA headquarters in Pago Pago to serve the Territory’s elderly. The “packed house” which greeted the Lions, who began the project early, was a testament to the need for preventive care and aid which the Lions render. Led by current president Isabel Steffany Hudson, dedicated Lions gave more than 300 residents vision screening and eye exams during those Eye Care Projects.

The Lions have been joined each time by supportive Department of Health staff under the direction of nurses Tele Hill and Margaret Sesepasara. DOH staff conducted blood sugar and blood pressure checks, and also referred patients for further medical treatment and counseling. They continue to advise and assist the Lions, who hope to encourage lifestyle changes and preventive care among the Territory’s population, who suffer disproportionately from diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.

It should be noted that the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the Pacific is due to “diabetic retinopathy” which is completely preventable with a healthy lifestyle and diet. Around the world, Lions seek to prevent blindness, and wherever there are Lions you will find both “Sight First” and “Eye Care” projects in many forms.

Also in April, the Lions were visited by their District Governor, Robyn Walker and a Lions cabinet member from New Zealand, Murray Neale, and while they were here, the Lions donated to LBJ hospital’s Eye Clinic two pallets of eyeglasses; visited Hope House, where they left a large gift basket for the residents; attended South Pacific Academy, where they spoke to the LEO club, the first school-based Lions youth organization; worked side by side with local members during the TAOA outreach, and finally, attended a special presentation to the community of a mobile van unit under the Lions “Sight First” project.

The van, donated by ANZ/Amerika Samoa Bank, was fully refurbished by Fletcher Construction, and will be utilized by the Lions to extend eye care and vision screening to the furthest villages of the territory.

Lt. Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga was on hand for the presentation of the van, and while there, was inducted into the Lions Club by the Lions District Governor, with Lion Isabel Hudson as his sponsor.

The Lions Clubs International, the world’s largest service club organization with over 1.35 million members world-wide, was founded in the United States on June 7, 1917, by Melvin Jones, a Chicago businessman.

Jones asked, with regard to his colleagues, "What if these men who are successful because of their drive, intelligence and ambition, were to put their talents to work improving their communities?"

Jones' personal code — "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else” — reminds many Lions of the importance of community service.

The Lions motto is “We Serve.” In over two hundred countries around the globe, Lions Club programs include sight conservation, hearing and speech conservation, diabetes awareness, youth outreach, international relations, environmental issues, and numerous other programs geared to support and enrich the communities where they are found.