The Vinton Breakfast Lions Club hosted their annual Awards Dinner and installed new officers
for 2024-2025 at the Vinton Moose Lodge banquet hall on August 27.
Lions Club gathered for their annual Awards Dinner on August 27 at the Vinton Moose Lodge.
The Lions are well-known throughout the area for their dedicated service to the community,
carrying out their motto, “We Serve.” (photos by Debbie Adams)
The officers, installed by Past District Governor Eric Mills, are President Zach McCarty, 1st Vice
President Justin Fix, 2nd Vice President Ryan Mason, Secretary Gary Myers, Treasurer Bob
Benninger, Tail Twister Chris McCarty, Lion Tamer Keith Lafferty, Lions Club International
Federation (LCIF) Club Coordinator Gary Myers, and Past President Jeff Mason. (The Lion
Tamer is in charge of setting up meetings and greeting members and guests. The Tail Twister is
charged with setting a mood of harmony, fellowship, fun, and enthusiasm in the club and
assisting with fundraising.)
installed at the Lions Award Dinner. Pictured, left to right, are Past President Jeff Mason, 2nd
Vice President Ryan Mason, Secretary Gary Myers, President Zach McCarty, Treasurer Bob
Benninger, and 1st Vice President Justin Fix.
It was noted that the Lions Club will be continuing into the next generation with the president
and vice presidents – Zach McCarty, Justin Fix, and Ryan Mason – all being relatively young,
and enthusiastically accepting positions of service.
Board members were installed as well, including Dave Jones, Anthony Conner, Keith Lafferty,
Steve Haldren, John Dyer, Chris McCarty, Jordan Karnes, Jeff Stovall, Richard Goad, Sam
Cundiff, Joel Lytton, Eric Mills, and John Berry.
Perfect attendance pins were presented to about 25 members with 100% attendance at Lions
Club meetings in the past year.
Zach McCarty presented a Past President’s Plaque to Jeff Mason who has served as president for
the past year, thanking him for his hard work and dedication to the Lions Club and its activities.
Mason was also honored by his fellow Lions who voted him “Lion of the Year” for his
commitment to the Lions and their goals as evidenced by his “awesome” work on events and
fundraisers and fulfilling the Lions Motto – “We Serve.”
The Breakfast Lions also presented special awards to two individuals who are not Lions.
Terri Cundiff received the Life Saving Award for her actions which saved a human life on May
25, 2024. The plaque presented to her stated that “Through your CPR and life-saving training,
and willingness to get involved, you changed the course of another person’s life. We thank you
and recognize you for your valiant efforts.”
presented a well-deserved “Life Saving Award” to Terri Cundiff for her heroic actions in saving
a woman’s life using CPR.
The award was presented by Lion Gary Myers who explained that on May 25 of this year, he,
Cundiff, and Lion Keith Lafferty had been biking the long Wilderness Road Ride (about 34
miles), when, on the last climb of the ride, they came upon a woman lying on the road with her
bike nearby. She was not breathing and was unresponsive as the result of a medical emergency.
Cundiff, who is the Director of Ambulatory Procedures at Carilion Clinic Cardiology, put her
training to work without hesitation and heroically administered CPR for 25 minutes as they
waited for emergency personnel to arrive. Upon accepting the award, Cundiff described the
experience as a “God moment” when God had placed her where she needed to be. She urged
everyone at the dinner to take a CPR class.
Debbie Adams, from The Vinton Messenger, was surprised with a plaque “in honor of your
dedication and hard work in serving the Vinton Community through your tireless coverage of
business and community non-profits. Your hard work is appreciated and noticed.” She thanked
the Lions for always giving her so much to write about with their many outstanding service
activities.
The Vinton Breakfast Lions Club was founded in 1985. The members well-known in the
community for putting their “We Serve” motto into action continually for individuals and groups
in Vinton, the county, the state, the nation, and internationally – especially the most vulnerable.
They fund eye exams, eye surgery, and eyeglasses for needy area children and adults. This year
they provided four $1,000 scholarships to William Byrd High School seniors, two $1,000 Ryan
Chambers Scholarships to Staunton River High School seniors, and a $1,500 Leo Club
Scholarship to a graduating senior at WBHS.
Each year during the holidays, they sponsor a Christmas shopping trip for 18-20 needy children
in the Vinton area, purchasing over $120 per child in clothing and toys. They have completed
special needs projects, such as ramps, for families in the Vinton area.
The Lions have financed two bus stops for the Vinton area (at Kroger and PFG) and a picnic
shelter at Herman L. Horn Elementary School. They are currently partnering with the Town of
Vinton in the building of a multigenerational park at the Vinton War Memorial.
Through State and Lions International, they support Diabetes Awareness, Disaster Relief, the
Lions International Peace Poster Contest, and the Bland Music Scholarship Program for area
students each spring.
The Lions also stock the local elementary schools with extra clothing, school supplies, snacks
and refreshments, and materials for school projects. They sponsor the very active Leo Club at
William Byrd High School, whose members join them at many events for many projects.
They hold three major fundraisers each year – their annual Drawdown, the Pancake Breakfast on
Fall Festival Day, and the Spaghetti Dinner on the evening of the Vinton Christmas Parade with
proceeds going mainly to Vinton area residents.
Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with 1.4 million members in
46,000 clubs in 210 countries.
