SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER MARKET DAYS The October Market Day was very good. Finally, the heat broke, and we had great weather. The Net Sales were much higher than we got in August and September due to the extreme heat that we had on those Market Days. Considering the great number of people who came to Market Day in the perfect October weather, things went smoothly. There were vendors in over 443 booths—this is 91% of all the available booths. Market Day has become so popular that we are getting so many people who want to enjoy all that Market Day offers—vendors’ goods, food, drink, music, great people watching. (I’m sorry that we have no way of knowing how many people are attending—maybe someday we’ll have a way to count the number of folks that come.) We did have one bus which came from Sun City in Georgetown. All of you know how hard you worked and how busy we were. A very special THANK YOU to each of you. In October, 75 Lions worked and 60 community organization volunteers helped. When you see one of the community volunteers, tell them thanks and let them know how well we did and how much we appreciate them. And all of you 75 Lions who worked can brag to anyone you see—especially Lions who didn’t work. (Why weren’t you there?) Every Lions should be working at Market Day. By all of us joining together, the Wimberley Lions will be able to make significant donations to our Wimberley students and community organizations. A couple of interesting facts about the October Market Day:
All the Briskets were sold.
600 Breakfast Tacos were quickly sold.
Almost $9,000 in beer and wine sales were made.
Almost $1,578 of the total $2,306 in tips for Texas Lions Camp came from credit card sales (which were almost $18,000).
Note: If you are a cashier at MD, always ask for a tip for Texas Lions Camp for Disabled Kids. If the customer pays cash, ask them for a tip to be put in the Tip Jar. If they pay by credit card, you don’t have to ask for a tip because the card reader automatically asks about a tip. TELL THE CUSTOMER THE TIP GOES TO TEXAS LIONS CAMP FOR DISABLED CHILDREN—NOT TO YOU. 2023 COMMUNITY GRANTS Grants were given in September to 32 Wimberley organizations by the Lions Club. The total amount of the grants was over $100,000. Organizations which received a grant from the Lions were the following:
Amigos de Jesus
Barnabas Connection
Central Texas Theatre Academy
Crisis Bread Basket
Meals on Wheels
Cub Scout Pack 127
Freedom Canines
Friends of the Wimberley Village Library
Habitat for Humanity
Hill Country Community Band
Hill Country Unit of the Herb Society
Katherine Anne Porter School
Medical Explorer Post 4077
Mini Equine 2 U
PAWS Shelter of Central Texas
Sea Scout Ship 1492
Special Olympics
Start-Up Kids Club and Camp CommUnity
Starlight Symphony Orchestra
Wimberley Adoption Group & Rescue (WAG)
Wimberley High School Band Boosters
Wimberley Community Chorus
Wimberley Gold Santa
Wimberley Good Neighbor
Wimberley Institute of Cultures (WIC)
Wimberley Players
Wimberley Senior Citizens Activities
Wimberley Valley Art League
Wimberley Valley Big Band
Wimberley Valley Radio
Wimberley Valley Rangers
Wimberley Village Library Foundation All of our hard work and service at Market Days enables us to give this much money to this many community organizations. Through your efforts the Lions make a great contribution to this community. As your President asked on the night that these grants were presented, “Is there an EFFECT on the Wimberley community from this remarkable community effort? YES—It binds this community together through the PARTNERSHIP of the Lions Clubs and the community organizations. YES—Each volunteer—both Lions and community volunteers—feel that satisfaction that comes from helping our community. YES—The money that is made at MD--and then goes to you community organizations--helps you reach thousands of Wimberley residents—that money is working every day of the year through our organizations. The Lions motto is “WE SERVE” And I say THANK YOU to each community organization for your Service. And I say THANK YOU to each Lion for your service.” OCTOBER MEMBERSHIP MEETING At the meeting, the program was about the Start-Up Kids Club and Camp CommUnity which had its first year in Wimberley. CEO Amber Wakum gave a great presentation on the accomplishments at the Camp. Check out their website at www.startupkidsclub.com
Mindy Curnutt gave a report on the Lions Club sales of Solar Eclipse Glasses. Over 2000 glasses were sold by Lions in partnership with the LEO Club, the Visitors Center, AStudioZ, Wimberley Pharmacy, Ace Hardware, Oldies Burgers, and Mima’s. Craig Biggs, Gary Harlow, Gale Wiley and Frank Curtis sold many of the glasses at the Wimberley football game.
LIONS WEBSITE The revised website for the Club is really coming together thanks to Mindy Curnutt, Chris Gerling and Kat Krause. This website is different from the one for Market Day. It will be the source of news for all Lions. For instance, important messages from the Lions District and Zone can be found on the site under the “NEWS” tab. www.wimberleylions.com THOUGHT FOR THE DAY “Home cooking is where many a man thinks his wife is.” --Jimmy Durante Until the next newsletter…. Frank Curtis President, Wimberley Lions Club