New Rosetown Lions Club president Sue Goodridge, left, with her predecessor Jenny Elers at last month’s changeover.
Rosetown Lions Club’s new president Sue Goodridge has pledged to focus on kindness and caring as the theme for her year in office.
“It seems de rigeur as president to have a theme. I thought long and carefully about it… affordable housing, food insecurity, financial literacy,” she told guests at last month’s Rosetown Lions’ changeover. “My theme will uphold the Lions mantra of ‘Kindness in Action’.
“Over the years, I have been involved in various caring organisations, including Samaritans, Victim Support and now Kainga Aroha. Attempting to make the world a better place by celebrating and promoting good deeds, or pledging acts of kindness, is also at the heart of what we do as Lions. You never know what someone else is going through.”
English-born Sue, who works in catering and describes herself as being an overthinker not always keen to rush into things, tinkered on the fringe of Rosetown Lions for about seven years before joining. Since doing so, she has overseen the club’s Catering and Hunger committee, and last year was involved with the Community and Environment committee while holding the post of vice-president.
Sue inherits the role from Jenny Elers, who rounded off a busy year in office last month, one which marked Rosetown Lions’s 30th birthday.
She told the handover gathering that 1819 voluntary hours and 118 completed activities had helped donate over $13,000 to charities during her year in office.
In that time, club members have helped at blood drives, Kihikihi bowling tournaments, Daffodil Day and the Pink Walk around Hamilton Lake, sold raffles at the Black Friday Street Party and collected litter at the Rose Gardens on World Clean-up Day. They were also involved in the Anzac Day Civic Service and worked with other local Lions clubs to support numerous fundraising activities.
Among recipients of funds was the Te Awamutu Health Shuttle, the Lions Club International Foundation Flood Relief Fund, and the Te Awamutu Boxing Academy.
