🌴 Looking Back at Summer

As summer winds down and we look ahead to a new season, the Naples Lions Club has much to celebrate—and even more to look forward to. We recently inaugurated a new board of directors and finalized our strategic priorities for the coming year. We welcomed five new members. Together, these provide a strong foundation for continued service to our community.

Welcoming Our New Board

We are pleased to welcome the members of our new leadership team:

Position	Board Member
President	Kathy Heldman
Past Club President / Foundation President	John Maguire
1st Vice President	Leslie Cheek
2nd Vice President	Frank (Mike) Nocifora
Treasurer	Maria Casanova
Secretary	Sue Huffman
Marketing Communications Chairperson	Marile Franco
LCIF Coordinator	George Basler
Club Service Chairperson	Valerie Flechtner
Club Membership Chairperson	Mike Huffman
1-Year Director	Sue Raabe
1-Year Director	Austin Raabe
1-Year Director	Nizar Mamdani
2-Year Directors	Julia Reisman, Claudia Caceres, Cecelia Alarcon

Our Priorities for the Year Ahead

As we begin this new year, the Naples Lions Club has established several strategic priorities to guide our efforts:

Expand our vision program. Vision remains at the heart of our mission, and we will continue to expand our screening and other vision-related programs to reach more children and individuals in our community.

Build our hearing program. We will work to develop and strengthen programs that address hearing needs in our community.

Grow and strengthen our membership. Our goal is a 10% increase in membership while retaining 100% of our current members. Strong membership is essential to our ability to serve.

Develop four new community partnerships. By working with other organizations, we can extend our reach, leverage resources, and create an even greater community impact.

Strengthening Our Fundraising

Our ability to serve depends on our ability to fund our programs. This year, we will focus on securing new grants from the Ware Foundation, the League, and the Naples Children's Foundation.

We will also conduct our annual Thanks and Giving fundraiser, an important opportunity to raise funds while sharing the story of the difference Naples Lions make in our community.

Welcome new members

We welcomed five new members over the summer! Please join us in giving a warm welcome to David Myett, Beatriz Aguilera, Freddy Vilchez, Guillermo Zapatier, and Marisol Hakanson. We’re thrilled to have them join our club and look forward to working together as we continue to serve our community and make a difference in the lives of those in need.

A Summer of Service

Even during the summer months, Naples Lions have been busy serving our community.

In June, club members participated in a Feed My Starving Children food-packing event. The goal was ambitious: provide one meal a day for 403 students for an entire year. That meant packing approximately 147,000 meals. Our Lions were proud to be part of an effort that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of children.

On July 28, Naples Lions also conducted a vision screening at Grace Place, continuing our commitment to helping children identify potential vision problems early.

These projects demonstrate what Lions do best: come together, roll up our sleeves, and make a difference.

A New Season—and New Opportunities

The beginning of a new Lions year is more than a change in leadership. It is an opportunity for all of us to think about how we can contribute.

Whether it's participating in a service project, welcoming a new member, helping with fundraising, making a community connection, or simply showing up and supporting fellow Lions, every member has a role to play.

As we head into fall, let's build on the momentum of the summer and make this a year of meaningful service, stronger fellowship, and greater impact for the Naples community.

Together, we can continue to make a difference—one person, one family, and one community at a time. ROAR