YLC Raises Funds for El Portal School and Welcomes New Member Bil Gleason!

The Yosemite Lions Club would like to officially announce Bil Gleason as our newest member! Welcome Bil, and thanks for all your help with pancakes. On Saturday, April 27th the club held its annual pancake breakfast fundraiser at the Spring Fling celebration in El Portal. Club Secretary Brett gives us an update:

Club members Mike, Arvin, Brett and Bill T.

"It was an awesome pancake breakfast this past Saturday at the El Portal Spring Fling.  We went through the 150 plates Bill had bought, plus about 20 or so that Arvin found in the cupboard there, plus about 15 ceramic plates we had to break out of the cupboards, making it about 200 guests!

You know it is a good one when you have very little left (2 jugs of syrup only)!

If pancake flipping was an Olympic sport, Bill, would be the gold medalist.  He was crankin' those pancakes out like nobody's business.

Our newest club member, Bil Gleason, was the master stirrer, keeping both the orange juice and pancake batter mixed up.  He also made some signs to go on Highway 140 advertising the breakfast.  The man did not stop from the moment he got there to the moment he left.

Alison had trouble counting correctly every now and then, but other than that, she and Jodi kept the food line moving while Teri was raking in the money people were throwing at her.  Volunteer Shani was out front too helping the ladies and looking pretty!

When Bill had the pancakes done, Sean was there with a plate, he handed them off to Arvin who kept the chafing dish filled until we couldn't keep up and by then, they were coming right of the griddle onto someone's plate.   It was quite the assembly line.

Oz kept all of us in line and was the glue that held us together.  Say it isn't so, Oz.  This is your last pancake breakfast?   :-(

Spring Fling Coordinator Claudine said she had 50 more runners this year.  We took in $285.00, which means we raised this amount for the El Portal school!

As always, it was a lot of fun.  Thanks to Teri for taking photos of the Yosemite Lions Club hard at work."

Club members Bil G., Alison and VP Jodi

Thanks once again to the Yosemite community for your participation and enthusiasm for our fundraising efforts. We hope to see you at the El Mosquito Fiesta in Yosemite Valley on July 25th.

Spring Events with the Yosemite Lions Club

Spring has arrived and we're looking forward to seeing you at club sponsored events in April and May. Come out and enjoy spring in Yosemite as we host the annual pancake breakfast at Spring Fling in El Portal on April 27, 2013. In addition to our pancake fundraiser for the El Portal school, Spring Fling involves a 5K fun run called the El Portal Spring Run-Off, food vendors, craft vendors and live music at the El Portal Community Hall. If you're lucky, you'll also catch the California Poppy show that debuts each spring in the Merced River Canyon just outside of El Portal.

Each spring, in the Yosemite gateway town of Mariposa, the Yosemite Lions Club is proud to sponsor the Yosemite Hiking for a Cure Relay for Life team representing the Yosemite community. The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life is a 24 hour fundraising event held at hundreds of venues across the country. Team members raise funds by pledging to walk a designated number of hours during a 24 hour time period to symbolize that cancer never sleeps. Located at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds, teams walk the track from 9 AM on Saturday May 18, 2013 through 9 AM on Sunday May 19. The event includes contests, team fundraisers, food, music and games to help keep the teams on the track for 24 hours. We are always looking for more team members and if you'd like to join us this year, please send us email at yosemitelionsclub@yahoo.com, join our team online at the Mariposa Relay for Life website or contact any of our club members.

On May 22, 2013, we return to Yosemite Valley for the annual Spring Blood Drive. Hosted in conjunction with the Central California Blood Center, the Bloodmobile will be parked in front of the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center from 10 AM to 3 PM to accept blood donations from community members and visitors. As always, donors receive a free t-shirt along with doughnuts and orange juice. We hope you'll join us for this important event that supports life-preserving efforts in our California community.

Happy Holidays from the Yosemite Lions Club!

Wishing you the happiest of new years, we also want to thank you wholeheartedly for participating in our events and fundraisers to benefit the Yosemite community throughout 2012. This year's holiday tree and wreath fundraiser sold five trees and six wreaths online with $80 in proceeds going to the club.  Trees and wreaths are shipped free of charge after purchase directly to your home. Neatly packed in cardboard boxes, they arrive fresh and fragrant, and trees are securely mounted to a stand right inside the box.

We appreciate the support and hope that you will consider buying trees and wreaths through the club's online program with Dutchman Tree Farms for the holiday season in 2013.

Thanks for the Tacos and Holiday Fundraiser: Trees and Wreaths For Sale!

Each year the Yosemite Lions Club hosts a holiday fundraiser selling trees and wreaths online and a portion of the proceeds go to support our club. By partnering with Dutchman Tree Farms in Michigan, we receive $10.00 for every tree and $5.00 for every wreath sold. The best part is that these trees or wreaths are then shipped FREE directly to your home. There are several trees to choose from and the wreath comes with a big red bow. You can skip the trip to the tree lot or send a great wreath gift and support a good cause all at the same time!

Please consider our fundraiser - you can be anywhere to purchase and they will ship anywhere in the U.S. Check it out at the following link:

http://dutchmantreefarms.com/organization/YLCCA

You can place an order anytime between now and December 11th to have holiday greenery at your door before the Christmas holiday - you can even schedule a delivery for a specific date.

Yosemite Lions Club's annual fall blood drive successfully collected 54 pints of blood on October 24th in El Portal. In the words of Diane Stewart, club volunteer: "We had 64 potential donors with 10 deferrals, for a total of 54 collected pints of precious blood. New donors and faithful friends, thank you for your generosity--your gift saves lives!"

In other fundraising news, the Yosemite Lions Club annual Mosquito Festival, re-imagined this year as El Mosquito Fiesta, raised $800 for the Yosemite community. On October 25th at the Curry Village Community Center in Yosemite Valley, we served 75 plates of delicious Mexican food to hungry diners that included many new faces we haven't seen at club events before. Many, many thanks to Maria La Veaga for preparing the Mexican feast - her reputation for Mexican food contributed to the success of this event. Event chair and Lions Club Treasurer Brett Archer worked hard to present a new twist on a long-time annual event, providing club exposure for an entirely different part of the Yosemite community. Brett also enlisted many volunteers to assist the club with this event and we thank them wholeheartedly! We worked hard and had fun, and we hope to see these new faces at upcoming YLC events. 

Treasurer Brett is ready to serve some food

President Kym is ready to collect some money 

Happy diners in the CV Community Center

Brett and Maria, the Queen of Mexican Cuisine!

Volunteer Kurt and Club Member Mike

October Events: The Mosquito Festival and the Fall Blood Drive

The club is sponsoring two exciting events this week: The Mosquito Festival in Yosemite Valley and the annual Yosemite Lions Club Fall Blood Drive in El Portal. On Wednesday, October 24th, the blood drive, sponsored in conjunction with the Central California Blood Center, will take place at the El Portal Community Hall, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. In addition to juice, doughnuts and free t-shirts for blood donors, we will also be collecting used eyeglasses to recycle for the Lions In Sight program.

On Thursday, October 25th, in the Better Late Than Never category, the club will be hosting the annual Mosquito Festival in Yosemite Valley at the Curry Village Community Center. This year's festival, known as "El Mosquito Fiesta" features a Mexican dinner prepared by Maria La Veaga - formerly of the Curry Village Taco Stand. Maria's menu includes enchiladas, tacos, burritos, beans, rice and chips & salsa included in one of three different dinner combos: one item $8.00, two items, $10.00, three items $12.00. As always, proceeds from this event will benefit the Yosemite Community.

We hope to see you in El Portal on Wednesday and at dinner on Thursday evening!

Yosemite Lions Club Golf Tournament 2012

Thanks to thirteen teams competing in the golf tournament this year, the club raised $6000 in funds for the Yosemite community! On a sunny September 8th at the Wawona Hotel golf course in Yosemite National Park, tournament players enthusiastically participated in a putting contest, 18 holes of golf, BBQ dinner and a prize raffle - all for a $75 registration fee. This year's winners - Rich Sischo, Ken Kehrer, Steve Morelli and Bob Berkler - shot a combined total of nine under par to become tournament champions with prizes of $50 gift certificates for each team member. Second place winners Michael Lewis, Robert Lewis, Mike Wally and Dave Braun scored seven under par and $25 gift certificates.

Demonstrating his putting prowess, Bill Carroll reigned supreme in the putting contest and won dinner for two at the Wawona Hotel. Other winners included players with the longest drive: Renae Rippentrop and Matt McNease, and players who averaged closest to the pin: Renae Rippentrop and Jason Dubburke. Success with keeping the Pink Lady in play throughout the entire tournament was achieved by Pat Reilly, Greg Owens, Dennis Baker and Mike Gover. These categories were also awarded prizes of $25 gift certificates good for any DNC Yosemite retail or restaurant location.

After the fierce competition, players relaxed on the lawn at the Wawona Hotel with BBQ dinner and participated in the prize and wine box raffles. Prizes included a travel golf bag, a Pendleton blanket from Grand Canyon National Park, various and sundry goodie bags with golfing items, dinner for two at the Mountain Room, brunch for two at the Ahwahnee and tickets for a September game played by the San Francisco Giants.

Thanks to all the tournament participants and their generosity in supporting our fundraising efforts in Yosemite. The Yosemite Lions Club extends special thanks to the staff of the Wawona Hotel - particularly Golf Shop Manager Roger Lyons - for making the tournament a success, and to Lions Club volunteers Shari, Shani, and Julie. Fortunately, the club has many supporters who contributed raffle prizes or donations to help raise funds: Peets Coffee, Impact Photographics, California Sungold, Smith Western Company, In the Breeze, Smith Novelty Company, Studio Vertu, Porter World Trade, Ramatex, Dutch American Import Company, Staples Promotional Products, Dry Associates, Aloe Up, Bryce Dorst, DNC Parks & Resorts at Grand Canyon, and of course DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite. We couldn't do it without you!

The 2012 Golf Tournament Committee consisted of President Kym Wright-Youngdale, Lion Teri Tudela, Lion Michelle Hansen and Club Volunteer Shari Baudoux. Big thanks to all the club members for their participation and fundraising efforts.

Hope to see you again at next year's tournament which is scheduled for Saturday September 7, 2013.

Fore! Golfing for a Good Cause

The kids have gone back to school, but there's still time to squeeze in one last summer weekend in Yosemite National Park. Join us for the Yosemite Lions Club Golf Tournament on Saturday, September 8th 2012 at Yosemite's Wawona Hotel Golf Course and spend a late summer day raising funds for the Yosemite Community. As of this writing, there are still some twenty openings for tournament players and we want you to join us! Tournament prizes include $50 and $25 gift certificates good for any stores and restaurants operated by DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite, and raffle prizes include dinners for two at the Mountain Room and the Wawona Dining Room, brunch for two at the Ahwahnee Dining Room and San Francisco Giants tickets!

As always drinks and snacks will be available for purchase on the course during the tournament prior to the BBQ dinner included with your registration fee. You can buy keys for the wine box raffle at Hole Five and during dinner - if your key opens the box, you win the wine bottle inside! And if you feel you need a do-over, mulligans can be purchased along with raffle tickets or snacks and drinks.

New this year:
We'll be conducting a pre-tournament putting contest with a grand prize and previous year's tournament polo shirts and caps will be available for purchase - $5.00 per cap and $10.00 per shirt.

Celebrate summer's last hurrah in Yosemite National Park and help the Yosemite Lions Club fund community projects. Is there a better reason to get out on the course? Check out the link below for the registration form or call Shari at 209.628.5941 with questions or to sign up over the phone.

REGISTRATION FORM