WHO WE ARE
Mission
To empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace and promote international understanding through Lions clubs.
Club Overview
The Satellite Beach Lions Club is a community service organization with a focus on community betterment through vision services, charitable contributions, and equipment donations (such as public benches, the gazebo at City Hall, and the beach wheelchair at the SB Fire Department) for community use.
The Satellite Beach Lions Club has an active Article of Incorporation of Florida Nonprofit Corporation filed through the State of Florida and a 501(c)(3) with the IRS as a public charity. The Florida Department of Revenue has approved the Club for tax exempt status.
The Club has a Board of Directors with elections held annually. The Board meets the first Tuesday of the month to discuss Club activities, budget, direction, and goals. Two bank accounts are used to separate Activities and Administrative monies. The Club has a Constitution and By-Laws.
Members collect used eyeglasses, lens, and cases throughout the community. These are counted and submitted to the Florida Project Right to Sight where they are cleaned, recycled, labeled, and packaged for distribution for those unable to afford glasses in Central Florida and worldwide. The Club also collects hearing aids and cell phones.
Major fundraisers include an annual Golf Tournament, Car Show, Pancake Breakfast, Founder’s Day hamburger booth, and Tri-Tip BBQ Cookout.
Funds go to support community, state, national and international causes, but most of the money stays local. Here are ways your donations are spent:
- Eyeglasses and exams, vision screenings, & hearing cases for those in financial need
- Donations to City projects
- Satellite Beach PAL
- Community Christmas Food Baskets
- Community Assistance
- Beach Wheelchair
- Financial assistance to community individuals
- Community Betterment
- Brevard Association for the Advancement of the Blind
- Florida Diabetes Camp
- Florida Lions Foundation
- Florida Guide Dogs for the Deaf
- Conklin Davis Center for the Blind
- Southeastern Guide Dogs
- National and International Relief Funding Needs
- National Federation of the Blind
- St. Stephen's Way
- St. Baldrick's Foundation
- Serene Harbor (Domestic Violence Shelter)
- The Sharing Center
- Children's Hunger Project
- Nana's House
- Candlelighters of Brevard
Want to join us? Membership Benefits: Volunteer & Community Service, Fun and Friendship, Leadership Skills, Networking, International Service, Family Friendly, and Opportunities for Young People.
Club History
The Satellite Beach Lions Club was chartered as a member of The International Association of Lions Clubs on May 7, 1960, at the Barcelona Motel Lodge, which is now the Florida Prep in Melbourne, because there were no restaurants on the beach. The Club was instigated by Satellite Beach's first mayor, Percy Hedgecock, but it was Percy Smith who would become our first club president.
Charter member, Lion Bob Moser, now deceased, recorded a little of the Lions Club's history in a video called History of Satellite Beach (you can find it on YouTube).
"We got together as a group to form a Lions Club. It was a community effort," Lion Bob said. "I guess we had 30 of us; that's what you needed at the time for form a club. The whole [city] council was a member of the Club. Average age was 26 years old."
Through the years, the SBLC has been a staple of the Satellite Beach Community. The Lions were a part of the effort, along with the Women's Club, to build the City's first library (now the civic center/city hall). And, more recently, our club has provided the city with a beach wheelchair, defoliators for the SBPD, benches throughout the city, and the gazebo in front of City Hall.
Club membership, at the time of our Charter, was 59. Membership has been as high as 90 with a current number of 53 that includes men, women and families.
2023-2024 SBLC Officers
President
Lance Smith president@sblionsclub.org
1st Vice President
Mario Amaral
2nd Vice President
Alan Boleware
3rd Vice President
Bill Hibbard
Secretary
Julie Boleware secretary@sblionsclub.org
Co- Secretary
Paula Dawson
Recording Secretary
Jacki Simpson
Treasurer
Helene Thompson treasurer@sblionsclub.org
Tail Twister
Frank Armitage
Lion Tamer
Dave Rieff
Membership Director
Dave Nowacki
Director 1st Year
Terry Bush
Director 2nd Year
Lillette Quesnoy
Immediate Past President
Joe Hauser