EDITOR,

I would like to make my yearly report to the people of Tracy concerning the Tracy Breakfast Lions Club for the year 2009-10.

The club has fulfilled most of its goals set for the community during this period of time. Its members have distributed more than $80,000, mostly to the nonprofit and school organizations in the Tracy area. This includes funding for scholarships, school and youth sport programs, and many of our charitable programs in Tracy.

To familiarize you on many of our events, I would list four pancake breakfasts, including our annual Day in the Park Pancake Breakfast on July Fourth. Two other dinners, our crab feed and cioppino dinners, were in December and February.

Our work at Tracy High School football nights involves many of our Lions in barbecuing, making sandwiches and selling them out of the snack bar. This continues over a three-month period, in which all money raised goes to the high school sports programs. This usually provides from $10,000 to $16,000 for the program.

We also do work programs for schools, such as putting on fundraisers for parents clubs when asked. Recently, we helped parents clubs at Williams and Hirsch schools.

I have to add that our members are always willing to give that extra help when needed. They provide a tremendous amount of labor for our community at the drop of a hat. I know that all of them give much of their time for the good of others. They probably would always be happy to have a “few good men” consider joining our group of men for fellowship and helping our community.

Just consider attending our meeting to see what we are all about. Be our guest for breakfast at Hometown Buffet, and enjoy the companionship of a great group of guys. You need only be 18 years of age, and we could use some men in their 20s and 30s to help balance the many older people we have now. We would be happy to have you as a guest. We meet every Thursday morning at 6:45 at Hometown Buffet in the West Valley Mall.

We look forward to serving the people of Tracy in this coming year. Our motto, “We serve,” will always be on our minds.

• Tom Hawkins has been a Lions Club member for 53 years.