Club News - July 2023

The James City Lions in Virginia used the SPOT screener on the Lions Sight and Hearing Van to conduct vision screenings for members of Arc of Greater Williamsburg, an organization advocating for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and serving them and their families.

For the 13th year, the Ysleta, Five Points, and Del Norte Lions Clubs in Texas have sponsored the Lions Club School Uniform Swap at Eastlake High School. The swap is open to families from all districts and schools. Those who wanted first dibs at the exchange were encouraged to turn in their clean, gently used uniforms beforehand to receive a voucher allowing them to shop first on the day of the event. Participants did not have to trade in uniforms to receive assistance.

In Washington, the Ridgefield, Vancouver and Fort Vancouver Lions pitched in to help the Washington State School for the Blind at its annual track and field day. The event attracted around 250 participants from across the Pacific Northwest. Athletes participated in events including the sprint, long jump, high jump, modified javelin and shot put.

The Amarillo Lions Club in Texas assisted flood evacuees at the Amarillo Civic Center. Lions Club District 2-T1 partnered with the American Red Cross of Greater North Texas, using the Lions Alert mobile kitchen to feed evacuees lunch and dinner for four days.

The Fargo Gateway Lions in North Dakota and the Barnesville Lions in Minnesota assisted the Furniture Mission of the Red River Valley in collecting truckloads of donated furniture to be re-gifted to people in need.

The Mattituck Lions Club in New York welcomed guests to their 68th Annual Strawberry Festival fundraiser, which included something new this year. Concerned that attendees were unaware that it is a charitable event, and all proceeds are donated by the Mattituck Lions, members explained the work of Lions, LCIF and how local Lions help the community. A presentation by the Guide Dog Foundation (GDF)/America’s VetDogs (AVD) followed with a chance to meet a veteran and his dog from America’s VetDogs. Mattituck Lions donated US$50,000 to the GDF/AVD.

The Lions of New Jersey hosted Lions Flight for Sight, a hot-air balloon festival held at Flying W Airport. In addition to balloon rides, there were activities for kids, local musicians, food trucks and other vendors.

In Kansas, the Natoma Lions Club served their annual pancake supper with the American Legion Post 109 and the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 109. The event was in remembrance of former Lion and veteran David George and raised funds for future projects including the Community Calendar. Natoma citizens can choose to have their families’ birthdays and anniversaries listed in the calendar alongside Natoma school activities, community celebrations and meetings.

The Brockton Lions Club in Massachusetts held a Ten Pin Bowling fundraiser to “Strike Out Blindness.”

After six months of organizing, the Champlain Valley Lions Club made its debut in Vermont, becoming the newest Lions club in New England. The newly formed chapter serves Shelburne, South Burlington, the University of Vermont and the south side of Burlington.

The Lancaster Lions Club in Pennsylvania celebrated its 100th anniversary with guest speaker Past International President Brian Sheehan who received a special penguin for his collection. PIP Sheehan presented Lion William Crabtree and Lion President Dan Snyder with Progressive Melvin Jones awards. The Lancaster Lions gave a US$7,000 award to Anchor Lancaster, a homeless food and shower program, and US$20,000 to the City of Lancaster Fire Foundation for the purchase of two infrared cameras to be used to find and rescue living victims of a fire disaster.

In Bristol, Connecticut, the Veterans Memorial Park showcases memorials and monuments recognizing Bristol veterans. Recognizing that sight- and reading-impaired visitors were unable to fully appreciate the inscriptions, the Bristol Lions added technology from Connecticut Radio Information System (CRIS), which uses QR codes that can be scanned with a visitor’s cellphone to access audio recordings. The club previously worked with CRIS to provide access to exhibits in the local New England Carousel Museum. The City of Bristol expanded the project to include a Spanish version and scripts were developed in concert with veterans who volunteered to be the “readers” for the recordings. Ten monuments were selected for inclusion.

In Missouri, the Park Hills Lions hosted their 27th Annual Golf Tournament to support the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program for area schools. Proceeds from the tournament have provided approximately 60% of the funding for D.A.R.E. Through the years, the Lions have given US$130,000 to the program.

The East Coventry Lions in Pennsylvania inducted 27 Cubs to their club. Some of the club’s favorite activities during the year included “Color A Smile” and “Clothespin Kindness.”

The Fertile Lions Club in Minnesota sponsored free KidSight vision screenings for children at the Polk County Fair. The no-touch screening for children as young as six months is intended to detect early vision irregularities.

The Manning Lions in South Carolina are proud of club member Lion Joe McNeil who was awarded the Lions International President’s Award at the Lions District 32 State Convention. McNeil was also awarded the 2022-2023 South Carolina Lions Vision Services Distinguished Civic Service Award for his work coordinating the Blind and Visually Impaired Fishing Tournament, an annual event for more than 30 years.