Club News - June 2022

In North Carolina, the Beaufort Lions Club funds Navilens Project for the Blind at the Beaufort NC Maritime Museum. The club donated US$4,200 to the Friends of the NC Maritime Museum to fund the first step towards establishment of “Interactive Experiences” for the blind. This donation will directly fund the installation of a Navilens Navigational/Informational-Transfer package at the museum. Navilens is an application that uses color codes that when captured by a smart phone camera, providing access to associated content. It will allow for self-guided personal tours and access to the hidden stories associated with displayed artifacts.

The Mt. Washington Kentucky Lions Club completed a US$14,500 project installing a special baby rescue box to provide a safe and anonymous way for saving babies 24/7. Lions worked the Mt. Washington Fire Department to make the rescue box available at the main fire station. It features climate control and a silent alarm system that notifies first responders of a surrendered infant. The infant would be attended to within five minutes, medically evaluated, and adopted within 30-45 days. Emergency first responders at the fire department received extensive training to assure all goes well for the baby.

The Octorara Area School District in Pennsylvania held a Literacy Under the Lights event on the football field. Students in grades K-6 were invited to come listen to fun read-aloud stories, play literacy games, and choose a free book to take home. The Leo Club co-sponsored by the Christiana Lions and Parkesburg Lions put on a puppet show of the fable “Anansi and the Pot of Beans,” and a craft station where children could make their own paper bag puppets.

The Chester Lions Club in New Jersey their recently donated US$5,000 to Covenant House. Located in numerous cities, Covenant House has helped transform and save the lives of more than one million homeless, runaway and trafficked young people by offering housing and support services to young people in need. With matching funds, the donation will be US$10,000.

The Madison Central Lions Club in Wisconsin celebrated its 100th anniversary looking back at the club’s inception in 1922. The club started with 35 charter members who began with their service with the Neighborhood House Project that offered a training center for people in the area. The Lions now fund a camp in Northern Wisconsin for kids who are visually impaired.  In 1956, members of the club helped start the Wisconsin Lions Foundation, a fund that has raised more than US$250,000.

The Gleaning Project of South-Central Pennsylvania received a new walk-in refrigeration unit and storage shed, thanks to the Lions. The project gathered and distributed approximately 750,000 pounds of produce in two counties last year, serving about 22,000 people in about 7,000 families. Support came from the Lions of Pennsylvania Foundation, the Lions Clubs of Pennsylvania Foundation, as well as Lions from Arendtsville, Cashtown Community, East Berlin, Fairfield, Gettysburg, Hanover, Littlestown, New Oxford, Upper Adams, York Springs and West Manheim Township.

Rains in New Jersey did not stop people from attending the Colts Neck Lions Club Kentucky Derby Wine Tasting Fundraiser. Back after a three-year absence, the event helps fund a service dog for a local veteran and allows the club to host another BEEP Baseball tournament this summer.

The Webster County Lions Club in Kentucky is working in conjunction with Health First, to help the tornado survivors by building sheds for them to store their belongings. Lions noticed that the community members who lost their homes need a place to store donated items. Webster Lions are working with Lion Bill McDonald from the Indiana Lions Club and the Knights of Columbus to help furnish sheds.

The Apple Valley Lions Club in California is looking for new members. The club’s primary focus has been promoting vision health by assisting area Lions Clubs with middle school vision screening, recycled eye wear collections, and directed donations. The Lions hope that increased membership will allow them to get involved in other community projects as well.

Following a two-year absence, the Knowlton Lions Club Garage Sale in Quebec was on again at the Brome Fair Arena. Each year more than US$10,000 is raised through the sale of items donated by supporters, bringing the club’s total to more than US$100,000 over the years.