On Saturday, July 20th, the San Pedro Lions Club hosted a ceremony at its Den on Barrier Reef Drive with distinguished guests, members, and friends for their installation of the Board of Directors. One of the main goals of the island club is to continue increasing its membership, serve the community at a greater capacity, and have an impact on the national effort to create more clubs and transition from a zone to a district. Currently, the governing body to which all of Belize’s Lion Clubs belong is known as Zone 59.
The installation ceremony started just after 7PM. Master of Ceremonies (MC) Eiden Salazar Jr. opened the program by welcoming those in attendance. Area Representative Honorable Andre Perez, Regional Leader for the Caribbean and Latin America Lion Dr. Sol Yam, San Pedro Lions Club President Nesher Acosta, and Zone Chair Lion Rita Douglas occupied the head table. The special occasion included members from other clubs in the country, such as the Belize City Lions Club and San Estevan Lions Club in the northern Orange Walk District.
The event started with escorting the Lions flag, followed by the Belize Flag. Father Eduardo Montemayor of the Roman Catholic Church delivered the invocation following the national anthem.
Area Representative Perez delivered the welcome address commending the partnership and hard work of the San Pedro Lions Club. “We are here to work together, always,” Perez said. “As a fast-growing community, we need groups like this that can work hand in hand with the local and national government in achieving the best for our people.” 
Perez thanked the club for their assistance to his office. He mentioned a recent mobile clinic held at the Lions Den, which provided hundreds of islanders with essential services such as those from the Vital Statistics Unit, Social Security, and the Immigration Department, to name a few. Perez said he looks forward to continuing working with the San Pedro Lions Club on future projects.
Next, MC Salazar asked the audience to pay attention to the stage as the new Lions Queen, Karissa Vasquez, was officially crowned. She was sashed and crowned by Miss San Pedro 2023-2024 by Mariel Calderon.
Afterward, Zone Chair Lion Douglas formalized the installation of the new board members who will serve until June 2025. They included President – Lion Nesher Acosta, Vice President- Lion Rosalyn Tzib, Treasurer – Lion Yvette Martin, Secretary – Lion Dayrin Mar, Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) Coordinator – Lion Everette Anderson, Membership Chairman – Lion Carlo Rivero, Service Chairman – Lion Luis Caliz, Marketing and Communication – Lion Mailyn Donis, Club Administrator – Lion Ana Ico, Lion Tamer – Lion Nigel Belisle, Tail Twister – Lion Adolfo Salguero, Club Director – Lion Marina Kay, Club Director – Lion Baldemar Graniel, and Club Director – Lion Abel Guerrero.
Acosta took to the podium and addressed everyone on his second term as president. “We have a lot of work to do, and to achieve greater goals, we will continue to collaborate with other non-governmental organizations, government departments, and members of our community,” he noted. “We deeply appreciate the effort of our members and society; together, we will continue to do more for our community.” Acosta congratulated the new board and invited them to continue the hard work in the name of Lionism. Before wrapping up his speech, Acosta also acknowledged Lion Dr. Yam for her re-election as the regional leader by Lions International and committed that his club will continue contributing to the global goal to increase membership by 1.5 million Lion members by 2027.
The celebration also included a proud member of the San Pedro community and a club member as a guest speaker. Lion Janine Lopez shared a touching anecdote from her younger days. She said her life was almost cut short by cancer. Lion members were there to assist, and their efforts yielded in her being able to battle the deadly disease and all the obstacles leading to her successful recovery. “The Lions Club serves everyone, the elderly, the poor, including those facing difficulties with medical expenses,” she noted. “Keeping the promise of ‘We Serve,’ to this day, they continue serving the community. Endless members of this amazing community can attest to the great work done by the San Pedro Lions Club. In front of you standing here today, is a true testament of the hard efforts done to help the needy, especially when it comes to medical expenses.” Lopez emphasized that one of the primary campaigns of the club is health, as healthy people mean a strong community.
Lopez added she is grateful to the club and is happy and proud to be one of its members.
Following the speeches, President Acosta, Vice President Tzib, and Lion Secretary Mar distributed awards and recognitions. Those awarded included club members of the island community who have continued their strong partnership and support their programs.
Miss San Pedro Lions Queen Vasquez had the honor of closing the ceremony with a vote of thanks. Afterward, San Pedro’s very own Rompe Raja serenaded the rest of the evening, putting everyone to dance to their popular hit songs.
