The Ridgefield Lions Club collect used glasses throughout the year. There's a big YELLOW mailbox in front of 109 Cheese in Copps Hill Commons as well as smaller white and blue Lions Club boxes in Town Hall, My Eye Care, Dr. Amatuzzi's office, Dr. Berman's office (Family Eye Care), Dr. Doty's office, Ridgefield Bank (Danbury Road), Chez Delila's Beauty Shop, Dr. Reynold's office, Founder's Hall. The glasses are sent to a school for the deaf in New Jersey where they are cleaned, read and packaged to be distributed to people in third world countries by Lions and opticians. Our club has collected over 20,000 pairs of glasses thus far. This is an ongoing project for our club.
~At our January dinner meeting, we are refreshed from the holidays and all our December service projects, so it is "full steam" ahead for our spring projects.
~February/March is our District 23 Mid-Winter Conference. a
~April finds members of our club participating in RID LITTER DAY that our town does. We clean debris from the area of our ADOPT-A-ROAD project. It is also the month ofour Spring Shred Day,
Many members participate in the annual VNA HEALTH DAY FAIR doing eyescreenings for people in the community.
We started our annual DOCUMENT SHRED DAY in 2013. This was a new fundraiser for us. Since it was so successful, we were asked to do it again in the fall. Consequently, we now do a sping and fall shred day each year. We partner with OAKRIDGE. The cost is $10.00 per copy paper size box. Papers can be brought in bags. Staples and paper clips do not have to be removed; however, binders. binder clips, spiral notebooks and penda flex folders are not accepted as truck can not shred metal. You can watch your papers be shredded if you so desire Our FALL SHRD DAY IS OCTOBER 21, 2023!! If you have alot of boxes and need help, give us a call at 203-438-0726 and we will pick them up. We will also pick up your boxes earlier in the week if you are not in town the day of the event. .
~One of our largest income producing fundraiser is held each spring--ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT. The cost includes green fees, cart, lunch, dinner and two drink tickets. There is a helicopter ball drop after everyone is off the course. Prizes are awarded and raffle tickets are sold. It's a great day of fun and friendship. The 2024 date is to be determined.
We hold our annual AWARDS DINNER at our May dinner meeting where distinguished members of the club are awarded the Melvin Jones Fellow, Ambassador of Sight, Progressive Ambassador of Sight, Knight of the Blind and Fideco Fellowships. We proudly have 35 Melvin Jones Fellowships, 16 Knight of the Blind, 12 Ambassadors of Sight, 1 Progressive Ambassador of Sight and 2 Fidelco Fellowships in our club.
Many of our members march in the annual MEMORIAL DAY PARADE usually with one member dressed in our lions costume. Our Little League team joins us. In 2018 our esteemed lion of 97 years old road in an antique carriage to lead our group----Lion Harold Hval. After not marching for two years we are looking forward to this year's parade.
~June gives us the pleasure of presenting our SCHOLARSHIP to a graduating High School senior at Senior Awards night at the school. Our scholarship committee spends countless number of hours selecting the person that fulfills all the requirements. The winner and parents are invited to our July meeting to receive our checks. WE give two scholarships. One is for $4,000 and one for $2,000. In 2023, a HAROLD HVAL $1,000 scholarship for community service was added. Harold was a long time Ridgefield Lion. He did service until his dying day of 102 years old!! Our new officers and board members are inducted at our monthly dinner meeting.
~Some of our members attend the INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION which is always a treat. They report back to the club on all they learned, saw and did. The 2022 International Convention is in Montreal.The new officers and board present a yearly budget for the club's approval and a new year begins for us "TO SERVE".
~ Our annual FAMILY PICNIC is in August. We have alot of great chefs in our club!! It is a fun family evening for all. This is usually held at Ballard Park.
~ We host a Senior Luncheon at the Community Center during the year.
Our 2022 FALL DOCUMENT SHRED DAY date is OCTOBER 21st. The event takes place from 9-12 in the parking lot behind Starbucks, The cost is $10 per copy paper box...you can also just bag your old documents. No need to remove staples or paper clips. We do this in conjunction with Oakridge. PLEASE NO BINERS, BINDER CLIPS, SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS OR PENDAFLEX FOLDERS!! Cash or checks only!!
~ In 2014 we started a new fundraiser--WINE TASTING. It was successful so we did it again in 2015 and added beer and bourbon to the tasting. Part of the profit is given to the Low Vision Centers of Fairfield and New Haven counties. Our 2016 and 2017 tastings were bigger and better. Word is spreading that the food is delicious and the wine, beer and bourbon being tasted is delightful. Door prizes and raffle gifts add to the entertaining evening. We will no longer being doing this event.
~The first weekend of December finds us doing POSTCARDS FOR THE TROOPS during the annual Holiday Stroll that the Downtown Ridgefield Merchants conduct every year. We print postcards of scenes of our beautiful New England town for recipients to enjoy. People attending the stroll address and write to the troops which our club than mails. This event takes place at our beautiful Lounsbury House. Your card will make the day extra special to the receiver. The evening is always a great success. SINCE THERE WAS NO HOLIDAY STROLL IN 2020, WE WON'T BE DOING THE POSTCARDS. We donated gift cards to Homes for the Brave in 2021. WE are hoping to be able to do postcards this year...2022!
The second Saturday of the month will find members RINGING THE SALVATION ARMY BELLS throughout town. It is most rewarding even though we usually freeze!! Stop by and see us at Stop and Shop, or Dunkin Donuts on Danbury Road. All money collected stays in town.
We started to take part in ADOPT A FAMILY program in 2015 where get get the sex and ages of children from Social Services. We greatly enjoying buying gifts from their wish list. This is a very heartwarming service project of the club. We were able to do it during Covid by following many rules.
Our annual HOLIDAY PARTY started a new feature a few years ago. Instead of bringing a grab bag gift, we bring an unwrapped toy for a boy or girl. The toys are given to children who are in need. Another great service project. In 2021 we donated tolietries to RVNA in lieu of collecting toys as they had a need.
In addition to everything we do for the community, we also contribute to Lion sponsored projects such as: Camp Hemlocks, Clerf, CRIS, Fidelco, Low Vision, LPCCI, LCIF, District Pride, and the Governor's project which changes yearly.
Some of the organizations that we have helped in the area are: Danbury Hospital Woman's Heart Clinic, VNA, Meals on Wheels, Ridgefield Library, EJ Carfi House, Southbury Training School, eye glasses for the needy in town, holiday lights for the trees at the Community Center, Founders Hall, Ridgefield Theatre Barn, Ridgefield ABC, Ridgefield Chorale,The Discovery Center as well as "sweat equity" for the Ballard Greenhouse and Ability Beyond Disability, to name a few.
Committees and Chairs for 2023-24 Projects
ADOPT-A-FAMILY--GERRI HATCHER
AWARDS DINNER------TERI LIBERTA
DOROTHY DAY SANDWICHES---AIMEE COHEN
ELECTION AND AWARDS------PAST PRESIDENTS
EYEGLASS COLLECTION------GERRI HATCHER, SUSAN KOREN & MIKE LIBERTA
FAMILY PICNIC----- JOAN GREEN & MICHAEL MCGURIK
GOLF TOURNAMENT------TONI RIORDAN
GOLF RAFFLE PRIZES------
HOLIDAY PARTY------- CHERYL BOYD & AIMEE COHEN
JUNGLE CHATTER (MONTHLY NEWSLETTER)------TERI LIBERTA
LIGHTS ON TREES AT LOUNSBURY HOUSE------JOE COYLE & SUE WILLIAMS
MEMBERSHIP------ JOE COYLE
MEMORIAL DAY PARADE --- PAUL TEPFER
PHOTOGRAPHY------ SUSAN KOREN
PUBLICITY (SOCIAL MEDIA)----- ADRIAN VOSS
RVNA BREAKFAST---JOYCE LIGI
SALVATION ARMY BELLS----- ADRIAN VOSS
SCHOLARSHIP------BETH MEAGHER
SHRED DAY ............MICHAEL MC QUIRK & MIKE LIBERTA
SPEAKERS -----
VNA HEALTH DAY------PAUL TEPFER
WEBSITE---- ADRIAN VOSS
