The Aruba Lions Club, along with seven other community service clubs, held a press conference to announce their largest project of the year scheduled for Saturday, May 25th, at Stichting Ambiente Feliz.
Representatives from Kiwanis Club, Quota Club, Aruba Women’s Club, Rotary Club of Aruba, One Happy Island Lions Club, and Rubin Ponson of Aruba Lions Club mentioned that they have been working on this project for a long time to show the community the volunteer work that these groups do.
Members of these eight clubs, along with those wishing to join the initiative, will gather for a project at Stichting Ambiente Feliz on May 25th. This year, the foundation will have the opportunity to receive these groups for various tasks, such as building repairs, painting, cleaning, and other necessary maintenance, according to Ponson.
During these activities, the clients of Stichting Ambiente Feliz will be entertained with a half-day bus trip while the work is being done at their facility.
This idea started some time ago, with several meetings between the clubs, and “now it’s great to see all the clubs coming together to do community work. Unity is strength, and that’s what we will demonstrate with many members working together on this project.”
Ponson informed that each club is contributing a sum and will make a donation to cover the expenses, with some businesses also providing support.
This is not the first time they have undertaken such a large project. Ponson explained that in the past years they have managed to do similar activities, but it takes a lot of time before they can unite all the clubs again for a project like this.
“We are happy and I believe that through the many meetings we had to reach this point, we could already feel the enthusiasm for doing this work together. Besides meeting colleagues from other service clubs, I think it’s an opportunity for everyone to come together and carry out a great community project,” Ponson assured.
He also mentioned that their work is voluntary and it’s important for the community to know that these groups always count on the community’s support, which is where their funds come from to carry out such projects. Each club has its own projects where the community can make donations during fundraising events and see where and how this work is done.
“Often the clubs are working on projects that not everyone sees at all times, especially when we talk about health-related projects. But if the clubs are working in different areas, we will show that each club’s projects are necessary to have the funds and accomplish these,” Ponson said.
When they started with the idea for the project and estimated the expenses that might be involved and divided them among the clubs, “not once did a club doubt they could help with these expenses.”
They managed to create a logo on a T-shirt that most clubs will wear on that day. It is a logo with several hands holding each other, forming a heart, and within each heart are the logos of the clubs.
“To us, the logo represents something beautiful and what we stand for as a group on the day of the activity. It is also a beautiful memory of May 25th for each member of each club in their hearts, knowing they contributed to this project,” he expressed.
From early morning on May 25th at Stichting Ambiente Feliz, they will carry out their work both inside and outside the building, even doing minor repairs where needed, “to leave the place where all the clients of the organization have the right to a life similar to ours,” Ponson said.
For this, they have some materials, but they are still hoping to find financial assistance, as Ponson informed that any financial help is always welcome “because what they have allocated for this budget will be given to this institution afterward.”
In the future, they plan to carry out other projects like this but with other organizations that may need it.
