I would just like to take a moment to thank all of the people involved with making the First Annual Cranston Lion's Charity Roast such success. It is quite an honor to be asked to host an event with so many great people involved.

Thank you to all the people who attended and to all of the roasters for such a great job in roasting the mayor. Governor Carcieri, Paul Zisserson, Jim Hummel, Robin Muksian-Schutt Ph.D., John DePetro and the entire cast of MIXED NUTS: an interactive cabaret.

Thank you to all of the Cranston Lions for all that you do for the great city of Cranston. Dan Cunningham, Cranston's Lion King, thank you for all of your support and faith that we would make this night a great success.

This night would not be possible of course without the tremendous effort of Lion John Rossi. John, you know what a great man I think that you are and anything I wrote here would just embarrass you so I'll leave you with this... "same time, next year, Newman".

And last but never least, Mayor Stephen Laffey. When we originally promoted this roast one of the tag lines read, "so much material, so little time" and now the tables have turned. So much to thank you for and I only want to spend about 3 more minutes until I finish this note. It has been such an honor to roast you for such a great cause. It has been my priveledge to get to know you over the past few months and as a resident of Cranston I could not have more pride in you as our mayor or in Cranston's City Hall. You and your entire staff do such a great job day after day. So thank you for jumping into the HOT SEAT this year and thank you for making your vision of Cranston a reality.

- Kevin

Since 1917, Lions clubs have offered people the opportunity to give something back to their communities. From involving members in projects as local as cleaning up an area park or as far-reaching as bringing sight to the world's blind, Lions clubs have always embraced those committed to building a brighter future for their community.

Today with more than 46,000 clubs in 193 countries and geographical areas, Lions have expanded their focus to help meet the ever-increasing needs of our global community.

Our programs are continually changing to meet new needs and greater demands, but our mission has never wavered:
"We Serve."

The Cranston Lions Club has 53 members and meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at Rossi's Cafe. Lions clubs are a group of men and women who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs. For more information or to get involved with the Cranston Lions Club, please contact John Rossi at (401) 225-8739.

Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with nearly 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in 193 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world.