Annual ‘Breakfast with Santa’ set for Saturday

The Pahrump Valley Lions Club is inviting all children to age 12 for a free breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Pahrump Valley Auto Plaza. Those over 12 and up can enjoy breakfast with the children for $5 per person.

Santa and his elves will be on hand to visit the children and listen to Christmas wishes.

The breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, orange juice, coffee and hot chocolate.

Proceeds from the breakfast go to the PVLC Letters to Santa project. The letters can be deposited in the mailbox in front of the post office on Postal Drive.

Lions Club members gather the letters and purchase a gift for each child. The members then deliver them to the children’s homes. Last Christmas the club delivered over 400 gifts to children in the community.

Funding for the annual event comes from the fundraisers the club holds. Donations from the public, organizations and businesses in the community are added to the fund to purchase gifts.

At its meeting on Tuesday, president of the Valley Cruisers Car Club, Chuck Fullen, presented a check for $300 to Lions Club President Joyce Campbell. The donation was specifically for the Letters to Santa Program.

The club meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Draft picks.

The club focuses many of its projects on helping and recognizing youth. It grants scholarships to graduating seniors of Pahrump Valley High School as well.

It sponsors a student speaking contest for any high school student which includes home-schoolers and private schools. The speech is five to 10 minutes long.

This year the subject is immigration reform. The winner receives $75 and moves on to “zone” competition. Winners then move on to regional competition.

Another project is Catch a Rising Star. It singles out a student from each school in the community, who has shown improvement.

It isn’t limited to just grades and can include behavior, tardiness and/or absenteeism. The students receive a certificate. They are also treated, with their parents, to a dinner and a gift certificate to Walmart.

The club provides new prescription glasses at no cost to needy children and adults in our community and includes the eye examination. In addition, the club collects used glasses and forwards them to the Lions regional recycling center.

Volunteers then clean, sort by prescription strength and package them. Most of the glasses are sent to people in need in developing countries.

Lions Club International is in 210 countries with 1.36 million members, which is the largest service organization in the world. The Lions Club motto is, “We Serve.”

For additional information call 775-727-9016 and leave a message.

Contact Creag Rowland by emailing creag.pvtimes@gmail.com.