Lions Club receives $50,000 endowment; largest ever

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    The Malibu Lions Club recently received a $50,000 endowment, the largest the club has ever received, according to Treasurer Mark Herron.

    The monetary gift was willed by Brenda Calderaio, wife of late Henry Calderaio, a charter member of the local service club.

    The club plans to use the gift to train seeing-eye dogs through the Lions Club Eye Foundation of Southern California.

    Brenda died last year at the age of 75. Henry died a few years earlier, in 1998, at the age of 82. The couple had no children.

    Henry worked as a CPA and the couple had been actively involved in the Malibu Lions since the club’s formation in 1955.

    “She was very pleasant and enjoyed when we had ladies night,” said Bob Zeider, the oldest active member of the group. “Henry was a wonderful individual. He had his temper, but he was a gentleman most of the time.”

    “Henry really believed in the Lions,” he said. “He did a lot of great things for the club.”

    Several years ago, Henry Calderaio sold 40 acres of land to the Malibu Lions at a very reasonable price. The group was able to sell the land to a third party for a nice profit. Now the club funds some of its activities with the interest it receives from that investment.

    The Lions Club Eye Foundation of Southern California will use the $50,000 in a similar way. It will invest the money and use the interest to buy and train seeing-eye dogs for Guide Dogs of the Desert. Preparing a dog to work with the blind takes several years and costs approximately $25,000, according to Herron.

    The International Lions Club is well known for its contributions to programs that help the visually impaired. The group collects used eyeglasses to give to the less fortunate, and the Lions Club can be found in the names of numerous vision and eye organizations. Southern California is not only home to the Lions Eye Foundation but also the Lions Eye Institute, an organization dedicated to eye surgery.

    Locally, the club funds several projects including Camp Bloomfield, a camp for the blind; Little League and Pony League teams; as well as the Explorer Scouts of the fire and sheriff’s departments. The club also donates money every year to local high school students for college scholarships.

    Most service clubs like the Lions, Optimists, and Kiwanis raise money for their activities through one or two fundraisers each year. The Kiwanis hold a chili cook-off, the Optimists host a jazz festival and the Lions provide a flea market and pancake breakfast.

    The Malibu Lions’ 2002 event is scheduled for Sept. 29 at the Civic Center.