On June 5 our own Lion Robin Hoerber was honored at the Forty-Third Annual Chesterfield County “Senior Volunteer Hall of Fame” Ceremony held at the Career & Technical Center in Midlothian, Va. There were over 100 community members in attendance, including six of her fellow Lions.

There were sixteen contestants, all nominated by another community member, then reviewed by the county’s Senior Hall of Fame committee and selection panel. Only three are selected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Robin was one of the three nominees selected for this honor.

Since joining the BMW Lions Club three years ago, she has volunteered over 360 hours of her time to service projects as a Lion. Robin is also active in other areas of the community. The motto ‘We Serve” is a perfect way to describe how Robin lives her life. Aside from this honor, she is definitely a winner in our eyes.

Beginning in July, Robin will serve as the President of the BMW Lions Club for the 2025-2026 year. She is currently the Vice President.

A quote from Robin during her acceptance interview – “We have all worked so hard to give back. We give them a hand up, not necessarily a handout, but a hand up.” 

Robin is visually impaired and spent most of her career at her dream job, working as a rehabilitation teacher for the Virginia Department for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Lion Guia Caliwagon

Capturing the Joy of Service in Collaborative Projects

For the past several months, the Southeastern Virginia Filipino-American Lions Club sponsored four community initiatives that captured the joy of service to our neighbors and one advocacy show in November in collaboration with various other organizations.

On October 12, 2024, our Club co-sponsored a Health Fair at the Philippine Cultural Center of Virginia (PCC), 4857 Baxter Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23462. This organization was created with the purpose of “promoting and preserving the best of Filipino arts and culture. Since then, the PCC has sought to embody the values of katotohanan (truth), kagandahan (beauty) and kabutihan (goodness). This Center is the hub of Fil-Am activities, such as the place where young Fil-Ams learn folk dancing and other art forms and where the various organizations meet and hold events. To serve the community, it is rented out to other groups. Our Club provided vision and hearing screenings using the Sight & Hearing Van.  Many were screened, and there were two referrals made. The distribution of free recycled eyeglasses and sunglasses was greatly appreciated. There was also a Zumba session to highlight that Zumba classes are offered regularly at this facility to encourage everyone to stay active to promote health and fitness.

Our next collaborative project was with Elevance Healthcare, supported by a $2,500.00 grant from Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), approved on October 7, 2024. “LCIF transforms lives through the power giving nearly US$1.3 billion in grants impacting 200 countries and regions…”  Six Lions Club members and 20 Elevance Health volunteers conducted a joint project while working together for the first time on October 17, 2024. The initial challenge was shopping for food items for 600 breakfast bags. In preparation for the project implementation, a detailed plan guided the activities and tasks divided among Club members and Elevance Healthcare volunteers. On the day of the project execution, the Club delivered all breakfast items to the Elevance Healthcare office, which the employee volunteers placed in the 600 bags. It took only one and a half hours for the 20 Elevance employee volunteers to complete the plan at their office building. The Club members then delivered these 600 breakfast bags to the Union Mission in Norfolk. Unbelievable efficiency was exhibited among all involved! Despite the aching backs and shoulders later, Club members joyfully proclaimed, “We did it in record time”.

On October 24, 2024, 9 Club members participated in the Open House of a renovated and updated Menchville House, 13658 Warwick Blvd., Newport News, VA 23602. This year, Fil-Am Lions Club donated the furnishings for their Common Area, where young residents play as well as study with their peers. Club members upgraded this area with new living and dining room furniture, curtains and rugs. A sign acknowledging our Club’s name was mounted at the entrance of the room. For the past three years, our Club has supported this shelter with our Adopt-A-Student Project at the start of the school year each July. Lion members receive a list of students with their corresponding grade level with a list of school materials that are required from the Executive Director. Each Club member then selects one student from the list of about 12-16. All the school items are placed in a school backpack for each student and delivered by members to Menchville House. Our other project is “Secret Santa” every December. The children’s names are provided to our Club, and each Lion selects one of the 16 on the list, who provides the items on the child’s “wish list”.  “Menchville House, a 501(c) (3) organization, is an emergency housing facility for homeless families, located in the area of Newport News on Warwick Blvd. This forty-six-bed facility offers shelter for homeless families. The agency works with other homeless service providers and social service agencies that offer families the services and support needed to return to self-sufficiency.”

Our fourth endeavor is in collaboration with the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS). A historic documentary entitled “Nurse Unseen” was sponsored by our Club at the MacArthur Memorial Center Theater last November 16, 2024. This film “explores the little-known history and humanity of the unsung Filipino nurses risking their lives on the front lines of a pandemic, thousands of miles from home”. This documentary begins an advocacy for nurses to be unseen no more as we spread the stories nurses have to share to achieve a little bit more recognition for their contribution, not just to the healthcare industry but to society as a whole. We plan to sponsor documentaries that inspire the good in every individual we encounter and/or serve. In the true spirit of Lionism, as we continue to live up to the Lions motto: “we serve” and discover the joy of service. “FANHS’ mission is to promote the narrative of Filipino American experiences through preservation, inspiration, and education”. The FANHS Museum is located in Stockholm, CA, which showcases the contributions that Filipino Americans have made to the United States since 1587, when they first landed at the Morro Bay, CA.

The joy of working with other organizations is multiplied by not only meeting new people but working with them on projects for the first time. It showed that common causes can form the beautiful bond between members that leads to friendships and future collaborations. Despite lively disagreements and physical exertions to complete the projects, we persevere and prevail. The benefits of serving others and the joy of being a part of it is beyond any metric we often use to measure success. We invite everyone with the heart to serve to join us in service and laughter!