Champagne Village
The 29-member club – average age 78 – handed over a check for $3,000, the biggest contribution to LSH from a club in Southern California.
A Little Club Punches Above its Weight.
LSH CEO Randy Stein was caught just a bit off guard.
The occasion was the annual meeting of the foundation, and a couple from a tiny club in Escondido marched up to the podium and presented a check for $3,000. It was by far the biggest donation from a club last year.
“It was a complete surprise,” Randy recalls. “It was just a tremendous amount for a modest little club.”
Randy tracked the couple down later to ask why – and how – the small club had been able to make such a large contribution.
“They explained that the club had looked at various projects. But their club is in a retirement community, and most of them had some experience with sight and hearing issues. This was a way to make a difference in their own back yard,” Randy explains.
“They had taken the time as a club to narrow their focus down to what they thought was important.” They decided they wanted to make a substantial contribution to LSH.
The Champagne Village club raised a large part of the money with an ambitious recycling program. One great asset was the golf club next door. Club member Paul Fisher had been collecting the recycling from the club for years, a significant contribution to the program.
Another member, Billy Smith, took care of the aluminum.
Rosie and Ernie Uyeda – the couple who presented the check – increased the club’s efforts by adding glass bottles. “That really made for a nice increase last year, along with residents stepping up and supporting us by recycling their CRV bottles and cans through us,” Rosie notes. Other fundraisers included an annual pancake breakfast, and last year the club organized a luncheon/fashion/show/auction combination that brought in a substantial amount of money.
“The club members work really well together,” says Rosie. “This has been an ongoing activity for many years and continues to be our largest fundraiser.”
Earlier this year, Ernie made arrangements with Randy to make a presentation at one of the club’s meetings, at which time the club presented another check for $500.
Randy hopes their example will inspire other clubs to make a similar commitment to the foundation. “They could have given $200 each to a whole range of projects,” Randy notes, “but they thought it was more meaningful to give a more substantial amount.”
