Club News - July/August 2020

In recognition of Earth Day 2020, the Bayse-Bryce Mountain Lions in Virginia collected 95 large bags of trash from more than 10 miles of local roads. This is an annual initiative for the club.

Leonardtown Lions Club members in Maryland arranged a fundraiser to benefit Lions Camp Merrick, a summer camp providing vital services for children with disabilities. Henry Stevens, an actor/entertainer from Hamburg, Germany, brought his one-of-a-kind cabaret act to southern Maryland for the fundraising event, and the Lions raised US$5,000 to provide 15 scholarships for children to attend the camp.

In Georgia, the Columbus Lions Club supported Sleep In Heavenly Peace with a US$700 donation. Volunteers from the international non-profit organization build and deliver beds to children in the U.S., Canada, and Bermuda who are sleeping on the floor.

The Aberdeen Lions Club in North Carolina managed to deliver 1,912 used eyeglasses for redistribution during the pandemic. They also collected 27 cellphones and 47 hearing aids.

The Snellville Lions Club in Georgia now has a collection jar called “Lions Spare Change for Hunger,” to collect change for their local food bank at club meetings.

In South Carolina, the Greater Irmo Lions Club presented South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster with a special clock made by blind employees in the Chicago Lighthouse Industries program.

The Up Country 88 Lions Club in California invited the community to an omelet dinner and raffle. They encouraged guests to bring eyeglasses, sunglasses, hearing aids, cell phones, ink cartridges, and pop tabs to be recycled for good causes.

The Colts Neck Lions Club in New Jersey gave the Association of the United States Army a check for US$15,000 to provide a sight or hearing impaired soldier in Monmouth County with a service dog.

The Markham Lions Club in Ontario, Canada, held a virtual online meeting in order to donate to the Markham Food Bank.

The Greater Carroll Lions Club in Maryland serve hot meals to elderly veterans in need.

The Kensington Lions Club of Prince Edward Island, Canada, continues support of families through the Kensington Community Food Bank.

In Indiana, the Kendallville Lions Club became bronze sponsors for the Leader Dogs for the Blind organization, donating US$5,000 to assist the visually impaired.

The Lake of the Woods Lions Club in Virginia is supporting the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) bus, a mobile high-tech classroom providing educational experiences to students throughout the Orange County, Virginia school system.

In Idaho, the Boise Bench Lions are providing reading glasses to the Boise Public Library. There are boxes of glasses in the reading areas of all the branches and the main library for patrons to use and return.

The Dalles Lions Club in Oregon sponsors four community meals each year, on warmer days grilling burgers for close to 100 people in need. Community meals are hosted by different groups each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.

The Newmarket Lions Club in Ontario, Canada, delivered 1,900 bottles of water, thousands of snack items, 600 tubes of lip balm, and 800 tissue packages to the nurses, doctors, and staff at Southlake Regional Hospital to relieve some of the stress brought on by the pandemic.

The Brimfield Lions and Field Leos in Ohio are proud sponsors of the Brimfield Community Cupboard that assists an average of 900 people each month with food.

In Illinois, the Waubonsee Community College Lions sponsored a food and fundraiser at a college basketball game benefiting the Sugar Grove Between Friends Food Pantry.

The Pigeon Falls Lions in Wisconsin presented a scholarship to high school graduate Ariel Koxlien for her outstanding community service, school activities, and leadership.

The Batawa Lions in Eastern Ontario are giving welcome baskets to help new residents feel at home, and also to draw more interest to their Lions Club.

The Virginia Lions Eye Institute Foundation presented 29 Scholarship Grants to recipients, totaling US$78,000 — US$3,000 for each single recipient, and $1,500 for multiple recipients in the same family.

Led by County Sheriff Lion Brad Nunnaly, the Powhatan Lions in Virginia paraded their cars past the home of Lion Harvey Paquette in a surprise birthday salute to his 95th year. Harvey has been an active Lion since 1960.

Every year the Discovery Bay Lions in California provide a community Easter egg hunt, but this year they had ordered 7,200 eggs several months in advance of the holiday, so Lion Amanda Dove organized a way to distribute the eggs with the help of her students. They designated 10 eggs per child and put a link on Facebook for people to request the eggs. Within 48 hours, all eggs had been requested and divided into area specific routes and tagged in boxes on Amanda’s doorstep for no contact pickup.

On Memorial Day the Mount Washington Lions Club of Kentucky helped unveil a new memorial plaque for all 132 residents of Bullitt County who died while in military service, dating back to The War of 1812. History Museum volunteers researched and planned for the plaque that was paid for by the Lions.

In New York, the Lions Clubs of Suffolk County, District 20S, teamed up with the Hershey Creamery to deliver more than 14,000 bars of ice cream to staff at 11 hospitals and one nursing home, bringing a little sweetness to a bitter situation.

The Elburn Lions in Illinois held a virtual fundraiser, selling raffle tickets online and drawing live for prizes on Facebook in their efforts to support an Elburn resident with medical needs.

The Lake of the Woods (LOW) Lions and LOW Lioness Lions Club in Virginia jointly maintain and operate the Wilderness Food Pantry for low-income residents, but due to the pandemic they have added curbside delivery to patrons’ cars and have stepped up home delivery service for those without transportation.

In Oklahoma, the South Grand Lake Leo Club celebrates a year of activities that included filling backpacks for school children, assisting with the Lions’ chili cook off, helping at Arbor Day festivities, and filling their share of 9,000 Easter eggs to help a local church with their community Easter egg hunt.

The Orchard Park Lions in New York presented Tops Gift Cards to the St Joe's Post Acute COVID-19 Care Facility staff.

The Fairfax Lions, Falls Church-Annandale Lions, Burke Lions, Springfield Global Lions, Clifton Lions, and Alexandria Asian-American Lions, along with Lions of Virginia Foundation, donated US$19,525 to support Food For Others, providers of free emergency groceries in the north Virginia region, distributing food each week to more than 4,000 families. The Lions contribution helps kick-start FFO’s new mobile food pantry delivering emergency food to those not able to get to food distribution centers.

The Southern Regional Leos sponsored by the Stafford Township Lions in New Jersey installed 18 new middle school members. The Leo club chartered in 2012 participates in community service projects and donates efforts to nonprofits in the county, state, and more. This year they provided 11 cases of school supplies to two schools in Freeport, Bahamas, destroyed by Hurricane Dorian, collected 27 pairs of new pajamas for the “Pajamas Program,” donated funds from pencil sales to David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation, and collected hats and gloves for those in need over the winter months.

In Pennsylvania, the Tunkhannock Lions donated to Seven Loaves Soup Kitchen and assisted with preparations for the evening take outs. They also donated PPE supplies to the Tunkhannock Ambulance Association.

In Maryland, the Westminster Lions Club responded quickly when the county’s main food bank closed due to inadequate staffing and space to distribute food safely. The club contributed US$1,000 to provide emergency food and supplies to churches and community agencies. Club members drop off piles of donated food and cleaning supplies to the home of Lions Barb and Bob Hayes who make a delivery each week to various organizations that are helping the hungry.