East Kauai Lions mark 88 years with scholarships, permanent sign
East Kauai Lions gave three $1,000 scholarships and unveiled a permanent sign at Kauai Veterans Center, showing how 88 years of service still meets local needs.
The East Kauai Lions Club marked its 88th charter anniversary by putting service front and center at the Kauai Veterans Center: a permanent Lions Club International sign was dedicated, newly installed president Edwin Santa Maria was introduced and three students each received $1,000 scholarships. The celebration underscored how the club’s work still reaches into everyday life on Kauai, from helping students to anchoring a meeting place for veterans and community groups.
Education Chair Felicia Cowden presented the scholarships to Aubrey Agena of Lihue, Kiaree Pereira of Lihue and Noah Thielen of Koloa. Agena is active with the Kauai High School Leo Club, Pereira has expressed interest in the automotive field and Thielen plans to pursue finance. The awards tied the club’s anniversary to a practical investment in young people who are already shaping their next steps.
The permanent sign carried its own meaning. For decades, the club moved from one temporary meeting place to another, including Dairy Queen in Lihue, Tip Top Cafe, Immaculate Conception School, the Niumalu pavilion and the Lihue Neighborhood Center before settling at the Kauai Veterans Center in recent years. Approved through Lions Clubs International, the new marker gives the East Kauai Lions a visible home after years of mobility.
The contribution to the Kauai Veterans Center fit that same theme of rooted service. The center describes itself as a gathering place for the military community and veterans organizations, and it is also home to the Kauai Veterans Museum. For a club that has long depended on borrowed space, the permanent sign and the donation reinforce a deeper connection to a site already used for civic and military community life.
East Kauai Lions is part of a much larger movement founded in 1917 with the motto “We Serve.” Lions Clubs International says it is the world’s largest service club organization, with about 1.3 million members in roughly 45,000 clubs across 202 countries and geographic areas. The group’s large L logo stands for law, liberty, labor, loyalty, love, life and Lions, a symbol meant to reflect service with pride and confidence in all directions.
The club’s charter dates to 1938, and its anniversary arrives at a time when long-running volunteer organizations matter more than ever to local communities. On Kauai, that staying power shows up in scholarships, meeting space, and a steady willingness to step in where everyday needs still outpace government and nonprofit capacity.
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