The Tracy Breakfast Lions Club is represented by a great group of guys dedicated to helping youth and the needy in the Tracy area. The club also participates in international activities, mainly in helping the blind.

We have many one-day events, such as the Pancake Breakfast Day in the Park, where Tracy residents gather on the Fourth of July at Lincoln Park. This is a great tradition, conducted each year for the past 40 years. It is so rewarding to see about 1,000 of our residents gather and renew old friendships. Our Lions have so much fun setting this up and cooking for tons of people.

We also have pancake breakfasts for the Little League baseball, softball and soccer leagues and John C. Kimball High School. The John Kimball Pancake Breakfast will be the last Friday in August at the new high school. It will give the public a great chance to see and visit the high school and take a tour through the new buildings.

Other annual events include our crab and cioppino dinners. All profits from these events go to our community to help other nonprofit organizations and youth groups.

When I write of these events, I am speaking of hundreds of hours of labor by great guys. They think nothing of working five or six hours after their regular day jobs, and they have fun doing it. They take pride in the work they do and the help they provide.

During football season, you will see a huge group of laborers cooking, wrapping and selling our famous tri-tip sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers, along with other food, to the football fans at Tracy High School. The Lions do this knowing it will help the athletic programs at Tracy High School and that students and residents of Tracy benefit from the work.

We had a great year under our club president, Mike Petrucelli, and expect a fruitful coming year with our new leader, Rick Hanson.

Our club meets at 6:45 a.m. every Thursday at the Home Town Buffet. We are a hard-working, fun-loving group of individuals who are always looking for people who fit this description to join us.

• Tom Hawkins is treasurer of the Tracy Breakfast Lions Club and a trustee for the Tracy Unified School District.