Serving the community, caring for the environment

Saipan Unity Lions Club members pick up trash at their adopted beach site in Tanapag. (Contributed Photo)

Thirty years ago, on Jan. 7, 1992, the very first Lions Club was chartered on island. Three decades later, the organization is still going strong, with over 400 members serving the community without expecting anything in return.

Just at the end of last month, members of the Lions Club gathered to do their monthly cleanup, picking up and collecting bags of trash from their adopted site, the Tanapag Beach. Three weeks before that, they also did a cleanup at Sugar Dock.

Aside from cleanups of their adopted sites, Lions Club also has a Young Tree Care Program, where they not only help plant trees all over the island, but provide protectors for them.

“We are committed to the 5 Global Causes of LCI, and one of it is the Environment,” Eden Mercado told Saipan Tribune. “Caring for our environment and its natural resources is the best way to give back and show our love to our Mother Earth. And at the same time we are hoping that we are modeling directly and indirectly to the new generations.”

Mercado is the chairperson of Lions Club International on island (Region 2) where there are currently eight Lions clubs—the Saipan Fil-American LC, Saipan Unity LC, Saipan Marianas LC, Saipan Alliance LC, Saipan Natibu LC, Saipan Centennial LC, Saipan Pacific LC, and Saipan Fitbeat LC.

The Region also has three Leo clubs (youth organization of LCI)—the Saipan Teen Unity Leo Club, Saipan Marianas Alpha Leo Club, and Saipan Mighty Dolphins Leo Club.

“The Lions club has several environmental projects such as [the] adoption of beach areas, pavilions, bus stops, [and] school cleanups and painting. Our Leos are mostly doing campus cleanups. We also have tree planting as part of Lions and Leo projects,” Mercado added.

Tree planting and cleaning beach sites
According to Mercado, the Lions clubs have different sites adopted that members have been regularly cleaning up in the past years. Saipan Unity LC and Saipan Pacific, for instance, adopted the Tanapag Beach area, and Saipan Natibu LC adopted Managaha Island.

As a Region, they have also adopted the Sugar Dock area through the private-public partnership with the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. They clean the area every first Saturday of the month.

“The last time we had our cleanup was on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2021…participated [in] by about 90 Lions and Leos volunteers,” Mercado said. “Although we are not weighing the trash that we collected, we are grateful for the help of Mr. Max Aguon for always transporting our collected trash to the dump site.”

Aside from picking up trash and making sure their adopted beach sites are clean, Region 2 Lions also has a tree planting program including at Laly 4, Tanapag, Kagman, and even in school campuses.

“We are protecting our environment and its natural resources for long time benefits, not just for the current generation but for the future generations. We are indeed enjoying what we have now—clean ocean, fresh air, beautiful mountains—because the generations before us took care of it, and this is our time to pay forward.

“Let us be kind to our nature, taking good care of our environment will give us a good benefit in return. A simple act of kindness will make a big difference,” Mercado added.

If you share the Lions Club’s passion for serving the community and want to join them, or would like to know more information about their causes, contact Region 2 chair Eden Mercado at (670) 788-2416; Zone chairs Alicia Barbo at (670) 789-7967 and Ma. Sandra Bartolome at (670) 287-2502; or secretary Donna Fronda at (670) 285-5180.

To learn more about the Lions Clubs International, visit www.lionsclub.org.