Photo by Kaylee Arca. A volunteer checks the card of a potential winner during one of the weekly Wednesday night bingo games.

By Kaylee Arca

The San Martin Lions Club is roaring across the South Valley. Located across from the San Martin Airport, this group of 20 is tirelessly fundraising to support the community and others in need.

Lions Clubs International Foundation Coordinator Marie Dollar, has been a Lion for 21 years and is integral in the club’s fundraising efforts with a recent success of collecting $50,000 from one event.

One day, Dollar learned that Brian Sheehan, Lions Club International’s international president, would be visiting the area. She and four others planned and hosted a meet and greet at Stan Weitzman’s, district governor of the Los Gatos Lions, house.

The event included lunch and a chance to take pictures with Sheehan. During the meet and greet, each attendee handed Sheehan a donation check.

“At the end of the night, we had $27,000,” Dollar exclaimed. “That was in a three-hour period.”

Weitzman then added a $10,000 donation and former District Governor Larry Hidalgo pledged $13,000 to bring the total to $50,000.

“(Becoming a Lion,) it’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” Dollar said. “I’ve never belonged to a group that welcomes you with open arms and does so much for the local community.”

“I was just so proud of Marie,” volunteer Cindy Bass said. “She’s a blessing and really a nice person. She’s just as sweet as can be.”

The club’s largest fundraiser is the weekly Wednesday night Bingo. More than 100 players and 15 volunteers participate.

Concessions and additional bingo sheets are available for purchase. From 4 to 10 p.m., the concentration in the bingo hall is palpable and peppered with calls of “Flash!” to purchase additional games.

The volunteers receive an hourly wage that is then donated to the charity of the volunteer’s choice. Bass joined the volunteers a few years ago. Her donations pay for her grandkids’ football and jiu-jitsu classes.

“That’s amazing because I’m retired and to be able to help my grandkids and do something.” she said. “It’s so much fun to go there and work with the Lions. They’re such a nice group of people that I really enjoy being there.”

The Lions Club donates to a variety of programs and people in the South Valley.

This year, the group collected about 20,000 pairs of used glasses. This month, members and volunteers will clean the glasses, use a lensometer to identify the prescription, and then donate them to people in need worldwide. The Lions host missions that deliver the glasses to Mexico, the Philippines, and wherever they are needed.

“If people have problems in the community with their eyes they can come to us and get eyeglasses,” Dollar said.

A few years ago, Bass needed glasses but did not have insurance or the funds to purchase a pair.

“I remember many years ago, my friend was volunteering with the Lions Club,” Bass said. “She got me an application and they sent me to Site for Sore Eyes in Morgan Hill. They paid for my eye exam and a pair of glasses. I was so appreciative of that, and I don’t think a lot of people are aware of the fact that that’s what (the Lions) do.”

The Lions also collect hearing aids and empty ink cartridges and sponsor cochlear implants and cataract surgery for local kids.

Many of the Lions consider themselves to be “disaster workers,” with Lions showing up before the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help communities during natural disasters.

The club recently sent donations to support the communities affected by the recent devastating hurricanes on the southeast coastlines.

The Lions Club’s generosity has created lasting relationships for Dollar, Bass, and others.

“I just enjoy it,” Dollar said. “I enjoy the people. I’ve made fantastic friends being a Lion.”

Kaylee Arca is a Morgan Hill-based freelance reporter.