The District Governor arrived in Antigua on Thursday, 9 December, 2021, where he was welcomed by members of the executive board of the Lions Club of Antigua, current Lions District Officers, past regional chairperson and the past District Governor. The arrival of the District Governor is one of the highlights of the Lions’ service year.
District Governor, Claudio Buncamper, MJF and Cabinet Secretary, Lion Davey Woods, MJF made official visits to the Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, His Excellency Sir Rodney Williams (honorary Lion) and also to The Honorable Minister of Tourism, Charles “Max” Fernandez (Member of the Antigua Lions Club).
Although a very brief visit, the Lions District Governor and Cabinet Secretary had an opportunity to visit the new Lions Leroy Warren, GOH, MJF community garden located in St. John’s. With much pride, both the Lion District Governor and Cabinet Secretary were able to see firsthand this new sustainable food and environmental project by the Lions Club of Antigua.
They also had an opportunity to use their green thumbs by planting and watering some seedlings, alongside the President of the Lions Club of Antigua, Lion David Matthias. In keeping with the legacy of service that Lions are known for, the next venture on the District Governor’s tight schedule was a visit into the community of Liberta.
This visit allowed the District Governor to interact and deliver food packages to individuals who needed them most. The Antigua Lions have stepped up to assist with meeting the needs of the vulnerable, especially during this pandemic, and it was indeed a pleasure to have the District Governor, Claudio Buncamper, MJF get a feel of how hunger service projects of the local club have impacted and met the needs of the communities in which the Antigua Lions serve.
This visit could not have been complete without a visit to Lion Robert Reis, PMJF. During this visit, the District Governor presented Lion Bobby with his Life Membership. Life Membership is given to a Lion who has maintained active membership for at least 20 years. Lion Robert Reis, PMJF has made significant contributions to the Lions Club of Antigua and has definitely made a service mark amongst the communities of Antigua and Barbuda. A membership key award was also presented to Lion Reginald Peterson, MJF, by the Lions District Governor. This membership key award represents Lions who have sponsored individuals who have remained a Lion for over a year.
The official visit ended with an audit of the Lions and Leo Clubs of Antigua and Barbuda. During this interactive conversation between the District Governor and the Leos and Lions alike, he was able to bring much perspective on keeping the clubs’ membership in good health, building up the Leo and Lions relations as well as how to keep service projects alive and relevant.
District Governor, Claudio Buncamper, PMJF, a former Leo, showed much passion about Lions investing in the development of youth and young members of both the Lions and Leo movement. He reiterated that even though the pandemic has impacted the Lions movement across the sub-district, that clubs should continue to “think outside of the box” and utilise new and innovative ways to raise funds and to meet the needs of our communities.
The Lions Club of Antigua and Leo Club of Antigua express gratitude for the visit of the District Governor.
The Lions District Governor departed from Antigua on Saturday, 11 December, 2021.