Lions club Melvin Jones Fellowship honors
The New Providence Lions are a group of men and women who enjoy giving back to our community and having a good time in the process. Our meetings, operations, dinners, and holiday parties are all funded by our dues or directly by members while all donations go back into serving our community.
The Melvin Jones Fellowship, created in 1973, takes its name from the founder of Lions Clubs International, Melvin Jones. It is an honor–not an award. The Melvin Jones Fellowship was established as Lions Clubs International Foundation’s (LCIF) highest form of recognition to acknowledge an individual’s dedication to humanitarian service.
This year the Lions Club of New Providence presented the Melvin Jones Fellowship honors to Linda Kale and Andre’ Luboff.
Melvin Jones Fellowship honoree Linda Kale of New Providence
Linda writes “Each year I prepare articles about our members who are recipients of the Melvin Jones Fellowship. This year I was so honored to receive the award. I’m not comfortable writing about myself, but I’ll give it a try.”
I was born into a Military Family at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma. I was raised with five brothers and one sister. Being in a Military family we moved around a lot. I have lived in Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri, New York State, Germany (two tours). As a child of a Military family I used to think all the moving was the worst thing that could ever happen to a kid. As I grew up my five brothers all enlisted in the military, my sister and I did not. The older I got the more I realized that my upbringing was the best anyone could have hoped for. I had the opportunity and privilege of meeting so many people from many different cultures and backgrounds. As a result of my travels, I have realized that my home country, the United States of America, is the best home anyone can have.
I’ve lived in New Providence since 1968. During this time I taught exercise classes for the Recreation Dept. I worked in sales for the “Independent Press” newspaper, Marketing and Public Relations for New Providence Chiropractic, and worked for the Board of Education in Madison, NJ.
Being a part of the New Providence Lions Club has given me the fellowship and partnership of some of the finest individuals I’ve ever met as we work together to give back to this great community.
Melvin Jones Fellowship honoree Andre’ Luboff of New Providence
Mr. Luboff moved from Queens, NY to New Providence in 1982 with his wife Elaina, and they have raised their family and have been active in the community for over four decades. A licensed Professional Engineer in New York and New Jersey, he has worked for over 45 years as a civil engineering project and technical manager on many major infrastructure projects in the NY/NJ region.
He joined the New Providence Lions Club in 2013, serving as chairperson for the annual Easter Egg Hunt since 2015 as well as numerous other volunteer and service efforts with the Lions and the community. “My daughters loved going to the Lions Easter Egg Hunt when they were young, and we saw it as a great example of the type of warm community that we were so happy to be a part of. To play a role in carrying on that now 54-year tradition for other families in our community is a great honor and privilege for me to work with my fellow Lions, our first responders and our elected representatives.”
