By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
The Crestline Lions Club celebrated its third anniversary on Feb. 27 at Leisure Shores by hearing about the reconstruction of Goodwin’s Market and the many modern amenities they have added to the market with this rebuild from Mike Johnstone.
The new members getting inducted into the Crestline Lions Club.
While celebrating their anniversary they inducted four new members. Reginald Durant and Stephanie Neuforth were sponsored by Catherine Johnson and Stanley and Linda Oswalt were sponsored for membership by Libby Hayes.
Diana Harvey from the Big Bear club, the sponsoring club for Crestline, told the new members that Lions International of Crestline is a strong club and that they have now joined an organization that has 1.4 million members worldwide and that they are entering the best organization in the world and to contribute their best to the group. She explained how Lions founder Melvin P. Jones was asked by Helen Keller to be a Knight for the Blind and assist those who are under privileged.
According to Harvey, Lions have also added focus on those with diabetes and those who have hearing impairments, as well as their long-time focus on those with eyesight loss and have added environmental issues as well. She encouraged them to attend the upcoming convention to meet more Lions and learn more about the issues that Lions is dedicated to improving.
New Lions members and their sponsors (L to R): Reginald Durant, Catherine Johnson, Stephanie Neuforth, Linda Oswalt, Libby Hayes, Stanley Oswalt and Diane Harvey who performed the induction ceremony.
Each new member received a pin and was told to wear it with pride. They also received a folder filled with important Lions information and were sized for a Lions vest to be worn while performing their service projects and told about some of the upcoming events.
Soon, the new members will be delivering the aluminum can pull tabs they have been saving for the Ronald McDonald House fundraiser. Each Lions Club in the district competes against one another for the most pull tabs donated. The Crestline Lions Club will be delivering its tabs on April 23; anyone in town who has been saving soda can pull tabs and wants to donate them to the Lions for the Ronald McDonald House, which houses families of children undergoing cancer hospitalization for free, may donate them by calling President Catherine at (909) 338-5758. They promise to get them to the donation day, where they will be used to fund the house for the kids.
The Crestline Lions Club helps at the Duck Derby by running a game on March 30 at Lake Gregory and will also help at the Volunteer Expo at the San Moritz Lodge on April 20, Valley of Enchantment Elementary School science fair in April and the community clean-up day in May. They are a busy club and last year at this time they were coordinating recovery for the community by donating 100 snow shovels to anyone who came to get them, clearing driveways, distributing and delivering food after Goodwin’s Market collapsed, and a warm clothing giveaway.
The club usually has a guest speaker from a community group or community member each month, learning how the community is doing in a variety of aspects. This month, they heard from Mike Johnstone, updating on the market rebuild. They are making sure this never occurs again. Johnstone gave the example that just one of the new metal roof support pillars required nine cement trucks to fill just one of the footing holes, so this roof is going to hold any snow load until the end of time.
The new laminate roof beams are over-engineered for this area, enough for heavy snow areas. Johnstone is sad that most of his grandparents’ antiques that decorated the inside of the market were lost in the roof collapse, since they had started the original market in the 1940s. Unfortunately, only two fryers and an oven from the deli area were salvageable from the disaster, while everything else was a complete loss. Even the basement area was flooded from the melting snow, and they had to redo all the plumbing in the whole building, but that work should last at least 50 more years.
They have found new suppliers to make the store more competitive in its pricing and he invited everyone to come to the store when it has its soft reopening and ribbon cutting in May. Although Goodwin’s was able to keep most of their employees working in their other stores and the mini pop up, Johnstone still needs to hire about 30 more employees for the store. If interested, go to the pop-up or their website for more information.
Johnstone talked about the new areas added and the new, view balcony they are adding. He hopes to hold a big shindig in August or September for the whole community, after they get everything running smoothly. He has dedicated his time since last March 2 to getting the store back up and running for the community and his employees. He is appreciative of all the support the community has offered the store and its employees during this difficult time. The Lions expressed their appreciation to Johnstone for his community work in the past and his dedication to it now.
The Crestline Lions Club meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at Leisure Shores Community Center in Crestline on the eastern shore of Lake Gregory for a potluck or catered dinner. For more information about the Crestline Lions Club, contact Lions President Catherine Johnson at (909) 338-5758 or by email at cjj1949@yahoo.com
0 Comments