Nevada Lions Club District 46 raise $26,000 to help Maui fire survivors
In August, 2023, several wildfires ignited on the island of Maui in Hawaii. The worst one occurred on August 8, 2023, when a brush fire ignited near the town of Lahaina. Hundreds of homes burned in a matter of minutes and ultimately over 100 people lost their lives. The Lions of Hawaii have helped address the needs of the survivors since then, but it will take years to recover from this major disaster.
The Lions of District 46 (Nevada/California) stepped up to the challenge of raising additional funds to help the Hawaii Lions address the survivors’ continuing housing, food, and medical needs. A core group of Lions from around the District met shortly after the fires occurred to plan and execute a fundraiser.
Past District Governors Kimo Harward from the Las Vegas Aloha Lions Club, Barry Temple from the Las Vegas Breakfasters Lions Club, as well as Past Council Chairs Irving Confino from the Las Vegas Black Mountain Club and Tim Rubald from the Carson City Host Lions Club led the effort to implement a Maui Trip prize drawing fundraiser.
Lions Clubs around the District were asked to sell tickets for a prize drawing. First prize was a seven-day trip to Maui and second prize was a $500 Visa gift card. The drawing was held during the Lions District 46 State Convention in Carson City on May 18th. The winner of the Maui trip was Jacob Handy from Beatty, Nevada, and Ray Troik of Las Vegas won the Visa gift card. Plane tickets and a condo to stay in were donated by individual Lions from Nevada.
Over 1300 tickets were sold around the state. The Las Vegas Aloha Club sold the most tickets overall, followed by the Elko, Beatty, Reno Host, and Carson City Host Lions Clubs. The individual Lion who sold the most tickets was Lion Julie Watkins of the Beatty Lions Club in Beatty, NV. Approximately $25,600 will be sent to the Hawaii Lions Foundation to be used for the benefit of the fire victims.