BC Lions Club Past Activities

Since its Charter in 1996, the Lions Club of Brisbane Chinese (BC Lions) has organised numerous activities to meet its objectives of giving back to the community, as well as contributing to the overall humanitarian work of Lions Clubs International. Our members have worked tirelessly as volunteers, often sacrificing precious family time to ensure the success of these community events. The following are some significant and/or more recent projects the Club has undertaken in the past.

Campaign SightFirst II Project in 2006

Lions launched the world’s first ever initiative to combat childhood blindness in joint partnership with the World Health Organisation and in its first phase, Lions was able to raise US$143 million. In the follow up campaign, Campaign SightFirst II had a goal of raising US$150 million. BC Lions became one of the 1,100 model clubs worldwide to participate in the fundraising for this exceptionally meaningful campaign. Thanks to our dedicated members and all guests who donated generously on the night, we were able to raise AU$37,000 for this campaign in a special fundraising dinner in 2006. BC Lions received a plaque for being the top model club in Australia for the highest per-capita donation to Campaign SightFirst II, ranking 12th out of the 1,100 clubs that participated worldwide.

Lions Medical Research Foundation (LMRF) Personality Quest

A Lions member, Mr John Henley, who at the time was a member of the Board of the Princess Alexandra Hospital, successfully moved a motion for LMRF at the Convention in 1963 that "Lions resolve to establish a laboratory at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, in which to conduct research into kidney disease". Forty Lions clubs supported the project with yearly contributions over a minimum of three years to provide the necessary funding.

The Personality Quest was a major fundraiser for the LMRF, with over 50 years of women focused on raising funds in their community to assist in the funding of researchers and ultimately the saving of lives. The Club has supported LMRF since 1998, raising over $150,000 through raffle ticket sales at shopping centres and various charity functions such as Lions Personality Entrants Charity Dinner and Dance, Lions Charity Variety Show, Monte Carlo “Funny Money Night”, Christmas Carol Compact Discs by students of various schools in the area, Charity Karaoke Night, Go Kart Racing, Bowling Day, Parliament House BBQ Night, Chinese New Year dinner parties and a Fashion Parade (which included a runway show and various performances) at the old Ferrari Brisbane showroom where more than 400 guests attended.

Entrants involved in the Quest benefit through personal development, improvement in their confidence and self-esteem, public speaking, community support and social awareness thus enhancing opportunities in their chosen career paths and personal lives. Our most recent entrant Lion Samantha Liou won Miss Charity of the Year in District Q1 and donated the majority of her winnings back to the Club for charity purposes.

These fine ladies were our Personality Quest Entrants over the years:

Rebuilding Overseas Facilities Impacted by Natural Disasters

In 2008, the Club raised $50,000 to help rebuild a school in China after the Sichuan earthquake. The school rebuild was completed in early 2010. In 2016, a fundraising dinner was held and approximately $2,500 was raised and donated towards building an Early Child Education Centre in Fiji after Cyclone Winston devastated the area. Fiji Seniors Association coordinated the project which was completed in 2021.

Disaster Appeals

In response to a call from the Australian Lions Foundation (ALF), donation appeal boxes were placed in certain Chinese restaurants in Brisbane which collected over $10,000. Together with donations from members, more than $20,000 was handed over to ALF for distribution to the disaster victims.

Our Club also supported the appeal from the State Premier in 2006 and participated in a dinner function organised by the Queensland Chinese Forum (QCF) in which a total of $34,513 was raised. A cheque for this amount was presented to the Premier in a cheque presentation ceremony at the Premier’s office.

In early 2019, a major flood event occurred in Townsville and surrounding areas on the eastern coast of Queensland. This was one of the worst natural disasters to have impacted the region since colonial settlement in the 1860s, and one of the worst natural disasters for the state of Queensland. The event caused four deaths, one missing person who was never found and ten people to be hospitalised. In addition to damaged infrastructure such as train lines, 3,300 homes damaged and 1,500 homes rendered uninhabitable, as many as 500,000 cattle were estimated to have perished in the ensuing floodwaters. In February 2019, the Club together with QCF co-hosted a Chinese New Year (CNY) banquet style fundraising dinner for approximately 380 people. Over $7,000 was raised for the Queensland Flood Appeal.

In the 2019-2020 bushfire season colloquially known as Black Summer, catastrophic bushfires raged at historic levels throughout Australia. As of 9 March 2020, the bushfires had claimed 34 lives, destroyed over 5,900 buildings (including 2,779 homes) and burned more than 46 million acres of land. In February 2020, with the assistance of Club member volunteers in a CNY dinner hosted by QCF, over $14,000 was raised for the bushfire appeal which was donated to Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) via the Club. These funds contributed to four water tanks to be built under the name of Lions Club of Brisbane Chinese.

Australian Citizenship Ceremony – annually in January

BC Lions initially hosted a Citizenship Ceremony at the Brisbane’s China Town Mall in May 2001 and then again in September 2005 together with Cathay Community Association. These Australian Citizenship Ceremony events were assisted by the Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Marketing and the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, and is an opportunity for all Australian citizens, whether by birth or by choice, to reflect on the meaning and importance of their citizenship. The day is used as an opportunity to think about what unites all Australians, to take pride in Australia’s democratic values and to celebrate the role citizens play in shaping the nation.

These ceremonies are now usually co-hosted with Councillor Kim Marx and attended by heads of various ethnic community associations, many parliamentarians and family and friends of the citizenship candidates. With the increasing popularity of Australia being ‘the land of new opportunities’, the number of candidates and the scale of these events have grown exponentially. In that past few years, the Club has assisted in pledging over 300 new citizens at these Australian Citizenship Ceremonies on Australia Day, which has added a sense of belonging for those who have recently sworn loyalty to Australia.

Youth of the Year – annually in February

This program is designed to encourage, foster and develop leadership in conjunction with good citizenship qualities in our youth. Student contestants have the opportunity to meet other students and professionals, participate in open discussions and exchange ideas. The qualities sought, apart from academic attainments are those of leadership, personality, sportsmanship, public speaking and good citizenship – all vital qualities in developing our youths into first class citizens and enabling them to take an active and constructive role in the community. BC Lions is committed to investing into the future generation and for several years has hosted Club Finals for many brave contestants who each faced an interview from a panel of judges, tackled impromptu speeches and delivered a prepared speech. The overall winner progresses to the Zone and Regional Finals. BC Lions has also hosted District Finals and volunteered at State Finals. Witnessing the transformation of these young adults through their competition journey is truly amazing and inspiring.

Ronald McDonald House Make-A-Meal – annually in March/April

The Club prepares approximately six to seven dishes within two hours for approximately 100 guests staying at Ronald McDonald House, which is a charity organisation that provides accommodation for families so that they can stay near the hospital whilst their seriously ill child is being treated. Aside from being able to give the families a warm feeling of “home away from home”, volunteers also have the opportunity to interact with the families and experience first-hand the Lions motto “We Serve”.

Environmental Initiatives – Bushcare, Weeding & Tree Planting

Club members, along with other Lions Clubs from our Zone, spend a morning gardening and weeding at the Link Vision Apartments (being independent residential units for the blind and vision impaired). A six cubic metre green waste skip bin is filled, which allows residents to move around more safely in the complex. The next event is scheduled for 31 July 2021.

Our members have also participated in Tree Planting Campaigns on National Tree Day and World Environment Day. In July 2018, with the hard work and dedication of 50 people onsite at Runcorn, we planted 240 plants comprising of 50 trees, 80 shrubs and 110 grasses and groundcovers. In June 2021, our Club assisted in planting numerous trees around the Maynard Place Park neighbourhood.

In November 2020, members had the opportunity to do some hands-on weeding and cleaning up at a Runcorn creek and park catchment as part of the Brandon Road Bushcare Group. Six large rubbish bags were filled as part of this project and ensured that the trees previously planted in 2018 would not be overgrown and killed by weeds. In March 2021, Club members helped clear rubbish and clean up Kookaburra Park at Rocklea as part of Clean Up Australia Day.

The Club has also been involved in the Green Up project, where the Brisbane City Council provided 1,000 plants and seedlings from its nursery for distribution. Members handed out these plants and seedlings to the public in the Sunnybank Plaza at their South Side Festival for donations through a charity box. Members also supported this initiative by purchasing these plants and seedlings themselves.

Christmas Love Campaign

Club members appealed to the community for donations of toys and computers to be donated to misfortunate families and underprivileged children at Christmas time to bring them a sense of care and love. Around 100 handheld electronic games devices were delivered to the Royal Children’s Hospital, the Princess Alexandra Hospital and the Mater Children Hospital in Brisbane. Additionally, seven cartons of plush animal toys were sent to Multicap Meadows and ten cartons of new assorted toys were given to Sunnybank Family Support Inc.

Operation Christmas Child – annually in November

Club members, family and friends attend the Samaritan’s Purse warehouse where Christmas gifts are packed into shoe boxes for underprivileged children overseas. These children can sometimes barely afford their daily living essentials like a toothbrush. The efforts of this project has led to many happy smiles and symbolises the true spirit of giving during the festive season. Since the Club’s involvement a few years ago, the Queensland centre has averaged approximately 55,000 boxes every year. The last shipment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was delivered to the Philippines in December 2019.

Seminars at Sacred Heart Chinese School

The Club worked with Sacred Heart Chinese School to hold weekend seminars at the school for the benefit of Asians living in the local area. The project goal was to help the community, especially for parents who had recently migrated to Australia and were in desperate need of a supportive safety net which provided vital information to successfully settle and assimilate in Australia. The seminars ran from 9:30am to 11:00am and experts and professionals from the related fields were invited to cover topics such as “Youth development”, “How to communicate with kids and Problems with bringing up kids”, “Course selection for Year 11 and 12 students”, “Core skill test”, “Laws and contracts”, “Travel and fishing”, and “Investment strategies”.

Self-Defence Seminars for Women and Children in 2017 and 2018

The Queensland Police Service was invited to provide an overview of safety, including personal, household, environment and community. Hands-on safety demonstrations were presented, with a focus on self-defence moves, anti-kidnapping and anti-bullying techniques.

Mandarin Speech Competition

The project was initiated by Club members to bring together the Chinese and non-Chinese speaking communities and encourage them to break the language barriers. The competition was designed with a primary focus to generate interest in the Chinese language and to show the local community that the Chinese language is not that difficult to learn. As many of the Chinese migrants to Australia can speak English, there was an opportunity to be creative and inspire the community to learn more about the Chinese language. The Club witnessed a high standard of proficiency in the Chinese language demonstrated by all contestants who were from local colleges and universities.

Hart Walker Project

The Australian Lions Children’s Mobility Foundation approved for a Hart Walker to be fitted to a five year old Chinese boy so that he could move around on his own again. The Foundation approached the Club to raise $11,000 ($5,600 for the equipment and $5,000 for the boot), which the Club successfully responded to and ultimately led to the child receiving the much-needed equipment.

Bridge to Brisbane Fundraiser

Various members participated in the Bridge to Brisbane. Regardless of whether members participated in the 5km or 10km challenge, the important fact is that we came together, contributing our time and effort, to not only achieve, but exceed our fundraising target of $1,000.

Lap the Map Diabetes Awareness Walk – annually in November

In support of World Diabetes Day in November each year, Club members and supporters participate in a 5km walk. The activity is focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle and improving education awareness about Diabetes. Participants are encouraged to complete a complimentary ‘Diabetes Type 2 Self-Assessment Test’, as well as a fasting or two-hour post-prandial blood glucose test with an explanation on optimal blood glucose levels. Funds raised are donated to Lions charity foundations.

Lions Awareness Day – annually in March

The Club has held Lions Awareness Day events at Sunnybank Plaza with the primary purpose to promote Lions and our Club and projects, specifically what we do locally, nationally, and internationally – to engage with the community and let the people know what Lions stands for. In past years we have partnered up with Diabetes Queensland and Lions Club of Brisbane Vietnamese to increase awareness in the local community about diabetes.

Lions on the Mall

The Club initiated a general awareness event and invited all Lions Clubs in District Q1 and Q3 to participate. The main purpose of this event was to promote the Lions Clubs image and to encourage group collaboration amongst Lions members for fundraising. Arts and crafts flea market type stalls were set up in the Chinatown Mall in Fortitude Valley and manned by each participating club on a Sunday. Each club had its own promotional displays and introduction materials at the stall. It also gave Clubs the opportunity to sell specialty and souvenir items. This function had the full support from Brisbane City Council and the Valley Business Association.

Marketing Stalls at the Buddha Festival

In the past, our Club had set up stalls at different Buddha Festivals, a multicultural event organised by Buddha’s Light International Association (Chung Tian Temple) to introduce Buddhism and encourage multiculturalism. Our Club took the opportunity to promote the Lions organisation and its purposes and activities and increase general awareness to festival attendees.

Lions Australian Grocery Grab in 2017 and 2018

This is an annual fundraising event for Lions Cord Blood Foundation. BC Lions partnered with Coles at Sunnybank Plaza and sold 1,000 raffle tickets. The lucky winner received a $300 gift voucher for groceries, leaving $350 for Lions Cord Blood Foundation and $350 for our Club.

Autumn Family Fun Day in 2019 and 2021

The Club hosted this event to celebrate multiculturalism through a musical concert and provide an opportunity for families to spend some fun and quality time together at the SunPAC Performance Centre. Attractions included: cultural performances, food trucks, jumping castles, face painting and carnival games with many prizes won and gifts given away. Many volunteers united to make this day possible. Over $7,000 was raised through this event, which was disbursed over time to various charity organisations.

Chinese New Year (CNY) Celebration Dinners – annually in January/February

The Club has held many CNY celebration and fundraising dinners over the years. Some are co-hosted with other organisations such as QCF and Lions Club of Brisbane Vietnamese. The dinner is usually banquet style and attracts approximately 300-350 guests. Many Chinese community leaders and representatives of ethnic associations, chambers of commerce and professional bodies from various fields join to celebrate this wonderful occasion. There are various performances lined up, including a Lion Dance, singing performances, and at times magic shows, stand-up comedy acts and musical/dance routines. Raffle draws form the foundation of the fundraising activities, and some years live auctions and lucky door prizes are also included. In prior years, $7,000 was raised in 2019 for the Queensland Flood appeal and $14,000 was raised in 2020 for the Black Summer Bushfire appeal. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Club was still able to raise $6,000 in 2021 thanks to many generous sponsors and supporters, in particular our Diamond Sponsor Lion Peter Kao of Juxgold Group Property Developments and our Platinum Sponsor Lion Jonathan Law of Law Lawyers & Associates.

Entertainment Fundraiser – annual

The Entertainment (previously called Entertainment Book) costs $70 and provides over $20,000 in value through discounts at local restaurants and various businesses. Members enjoy these discounts which are valid for that year. The Club receives a 20% profit margin for every membership sold. The Club has been selling these for a number of years now and funds raised have been disbursed to various Lions and other worthy charity foundations.

Donation Dollar in 2021

Many Australians have been doing it tough in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Australia’s 57,000 charities and not-for-profits have not been immune to these economic challenges. The Royal Australian Mint has produced a special Donation Dollar, the world’s first $1 legal tender currency designed to be donated. The idea came from Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne with an aim to reinvigorate Australia’s charity donations. 

While one dollar might not seem like much, if every Australian donated just one dollar a month, together we have the potential to raise an additional $300 million dollars annually. The intention of Donation Dollar is to inspire a national spirit of charitable giving, with a tangible reminder encouraging all Australians to give small amounts more often across more charities. 

The Club has been collecting donation coins for community causes via donation tins placed at various locations. Every dollar donated will proudly go directly to those in need, so the next time you are handed change, consider passing it onto someone who needs it more than you.