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

Summer in Yosemite with the YLC

Summer in Yosemite is swimming in the Merced River, hiking to the top of Half Dome, toasting s'mores over the campfire and preparing for the Yosemite Lions Club's two annual park events: the Mosquito Festival in Yosemite Valley and the Golf Tournament at the Wawona Hotel golf course. Below you will find the registration form for the golf tournament that takes place on Saturday September 8th, 2012. Tournament players demonstrate their skills on the 9 hole Wawona golf course before sitting down to a BBQ dinner and prize raffle at the Wawona Hotel. Join us for a day of summer fun in Yosemite to help raise funds for the club. Golf teams are welcome to bring non-golfing companions to round out their dinner party and participate in the prize raffle. Look for upcoming details on the annual Mosquito Festival to raise funds and celebrate the exodus of mosquitos from Yosemite Valley.

At the last monthly club meeting, we shared a lunch date with luminaries from Lions Club District 4-A1 at the Ahwahnee Hotel, including Vice District Governor Tom Bauder, Yosemite Region Zone Chairperson Chris Baker, District Governor Jim Syvertsen and Yosemite Region Chairperson Dwight Stephens (that's YLC Secretary Brett and YLC President Kym in the middle of the photo above). It was inspiring to connect with Lions outside of our club, and we shared thoughts and enthusiastic ideas concerning the Lions Clubs in our district. Speaking of enthusiasm, two YLC members were awarded  commemorative pins to celebrate their commitment to the club and enthusiasm for Lions Club events. After being nominated by President Kym, District Governor Jim presented Secretary Brett and Lion Michelle with "You Mean the World to Lions 2012-2013" pins.

We look forward to seeing you at our summer events and hope you'll spread the word to help raise funds for the Yosemite community.

Use the download link to get a copy of the registration form below:

Yosemite Lions Club Golf Tournament 2012

Yosemite Lions Club Helps Raise $3724.00 for Cancer Research!

On Saturday, May 19, the Yosemite Lions Club participated in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life to raise funds for cancer research. The club supported the Yosemite Hiking for a Cure team at the Mariposa fairgrounds by walking the track, hosting a fundraising bingo game and raffling gift bags. Here's a summary from Lion Patti, team co-captain:

"Thank you to everyone for your participation and support in the 2012 Relay For Life.  The event raised $59,222.04 to date.

In the team category, Yosemite Hiking For A Cure came in second place with $3,724 raised!  Our team goal was $2,500.  Great work everyone!  We not only met, but exceeded our goal for 2012.  This was not only made possible by our sponsor contributions from the Yosemite Lion's Club and DNC P&R at Yosemite, but also by some great fundraising from our team members, both individually and collectively.

In the individual fundraising category, Kym earned second place having collected $1,450.00.  Great job Kym!

Congratualtions to everyone for a great Relay!  A big thank you to Teri, our co-captain. She was there when I needed her facilitating fundraising and logistics!  Bingo was a successful fundraiser.  Kudos to Teri and Kym!  You both had the patience and resolve to walk the track to get the word out and bring in participants. Kym, your years of participation in this event, and fundraising capabilities, are an inspiration to all of us. Thank you for your enormous contribution!  Emily, thank you for providing our shade for this event, or we would have surely wilted under the heat of the Sun!  Pat, Audrey and Kurt, Michelle, and Alison, you are here, year after year, and without your participation and contributions to our team, we wouldn't have one.  Thank you!  I will follow up with our newest team-members to congratulate and give thanks for their participation.

The wrap up party is currently scheduled for Thursday, June 21st with time and place forthcoming from the Committee.  I hope to see you there!"

Who Likes Pancakes for Breakfast?!

Every year at the Spring Fling in El Portal, the Yosemite Lions Club hosts a fundraising Pancake Breakfast to support the El Portal School. Starting at 7:00AM, prior to the start of the El Portal Spring Run-Off 5k and 10k run, the club will serve pancakes with syrup, butter, sausage, fruit and milk or juice to drink. Breakfast is included with race registration, however, if you are a spectator with breakfast needs, you too can eat breakfast for a donated sum. Contact information for the Run-Off is included below:

Looking Forward to Fundraising in 2012 (with a rewind to 2011)

We're heading towards spring here in Yosemite, though we really haven't had much of a winter!  Before winter came tiptoeing to the Sierra, the Yosemite Lions Club held another successful fall blood drive in El Portal at the community center.  Lions Club Member and blood drive coordinator Bill Thomas arranged once again for suitable decor and snacks for the annual October event, along with his ever-faithful supporter and Lions Club Member Diane Stewart.  Our blood drive marketing savvy has increased - we announced the drive in the Mariposa Gazette.  In previous years, the blood drive operation was set up inside the community center.  This year the Central California Blood Center's Bloodmobile was parked just outside, making the community center available for snacks and socializing with donors.  Every donor receives a free t-shirt, along with complimentary orange juice and sugary snacks to reset blood sugar levels after donating.  Thanks goes to the Yosemite and El Portal communities for making the blood drive a success - we appreciate your support!

Diane and Bill at the blood drive

Central California Blood Bank Letter Fall 2012 We added a new fundraising opportunity in 2011, one we hope will become a new tradition in the Yosemite community.  Every winter holiday season, the Yosemite Lions Club sells holiday trees and wreaths in front of the Village Store in Yosemite Valley.  This year we partnered with a tree farm in Michigan - Dutchmann Tree Farms - that provides online fundraising opportunities for non-profit organizations.  By ordering a tree or wreath online from Dutchmann, the Yosemite Lions Club received a portion of the proceeds to raise funds for community projects.  We raised just over $100 with this opportunity and everyone who ordered was very pleased with their tree or wreath.  We hope to spread the word about this great opportunity since purchasing a holiday tree and having it delivered to Yosemite with absolutely NO SHIPPING FEES seemed like a holiday gift in itself!  We'd like to thank Dutchmann Tree Farms for helping us help the Yosemite community.

After everyone took trips to the High Sierra in December and January due to the lack of snow, we realized that El Portal's Spring Fling is just around the corner in April.  The Yosemite Lions Club annually hosts a fundraising pancake breakfast at this event and we hope to have more details soon.  Soon after Spring Fling, the club will be sponsoring the Yosemite Hiking for a Cure team for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life fundraiser held in Mariposa on May 19, 2012.  Want to join our team and help fight cancer?  Check out our Team Page for details and if you can't join, consider donating to this worthy cause.

As always, we look forward to our summer fundraising events, the Mosquito Festival in Yosemite Valley and the Golf Tournament in Wawona.  If you've attended these events and have ideas or fond memories, we'd love to hear from you!  Don't forget to find us and "like" us on facebook, too.

Buy a Holiday Tree from Yosemite Lions Club and have it shipped to your home FREE!

This holiday season we have a new way to spread cheer and raise funds for the Yosemite Lions Club with an online source that sells holiday trees and wreaths with FREE shipping!  Dutchman Tree Farms offers the green2green fundraising program that allows non-profit organizations to benefit from sales of trees and wreaths at no cost to the organization.  We are registered with the green2green program and will receive $10 for each tree and $5 for each wreath sold.  Dutchman starts taking orders on October 1st with a deadline of December 15th, where you choose your ship date from now until December.  Shipping details will be included with your order.

Items available:

Cut Fraser Fir 6-7 ft   $64.95

Cut Table Top Tree 3-4 ft  $39.95

Decorated Wreath 22"  $34.95

To order, visit the Dutchman Tree Farms website at:

www.dutchmantreefarms.com and use the code YLCCA on the green2green page, or use this direct link:

http://www.dutchmantreefarms.com/organization/YLCCA

Live container trees are also shown but they cannot be shipped to California.  You will find these prices to be competitive with local tree lots and the free shipping makes this an attractive option for Yosemite community dwellers.  Keep in mind that anyone can order through the website, not just the Yosemite community, so please pass the link and info along to anyone who may be interested in funding a good cause - including out-of-state family and friends (who may be able to order live container trees according to their state regulations).  Now go out and spread some holiday cheer!

Don't Be Scared - Giving Blood is Easy This October!

Please join us for the Yosemite Lions Club Annual Fall Blood Drive in El Portal at the community hall on Wednesday, October 26th.  As always, all donors will receive a free t-shirt along with orange juice and doughnuts!  The Central California Blood Center's Bloodmobile will be on hand to accept your donations.  Give the gift of life by donating blood this month.