December 12, 2018:

This blog is originally written for our local newspaper, the Daily Messenger.

From Dec  1

We had a Lions’ work night!  A team of 8 members met in Lion Bert’s cold garage, with the wood stove roaring, to gift wrap 27 pair of shoes to go to families in need, registered with Canandaigua Churches in Action.  The wrapped shoes were delivered and will be distributed to families in Canandaigua.  This is an annual service project of the local Lions, with the shoes being donated by Lion Linda.

Also, the Lions crew sorted and packed used eyeglasses.  The 40+ Lions, Lioness and Leos clubs throughout the 10-county area of our district collect used eyeglasses and send them to Canandaigua. Here we sort, package and prepare them to be shipped to one of 14 Lions’ recycling centers in the United States.  At the centers, the glasses are measured for prescriptions, cleaned, repaired as necessary, cataloged and further sorted by type and prescription.  The Canandaigua Lions Club processes nearly 20,000 pairs of eyeglasses annually for the Finger Lakes District.

What happens to the glasses then?  Lions Club International will field “missions” to third world countries in Africa, South and Central America and other areas around the world where needed.  An arena will be secured for the event and there will be hundreds of people lined up hours before the gates open.  Every person will receive a thorough eye examination and be given a pair of glasses.  There have been many times that a grandmother has been able to see her grandchildren for the first time.  Other missions will provide more complex services such as cataract operations.  We cannot provide this service in the United States as regulations do not permit the distribution of used eyeglasses.  We do provide examinations and new glasses for needy people in Canandaigua.

From Nov 23

Welcome to the first Canandaigua Lions Club blog!  Our purpose will be to help the Canandaigua community, and beyond, learn just what a Lions Club is all about.  First of all:  What is a Lion?  “Lions clubs are organizations made up of civic-minded men and women who are interested in the betterment of their community.”  Lions meet the needs of local communities and the world. The 1.35 million members of our volunteer organization in 206 countries and geographic areas are different in many ways, but share a core belief – community is what we make it. Our motto is very simple:  “We Serve”. 

What will you expect to read in our future blogs?  There will not be a single contributor as each member of the Canandaigua Lions Club who is a chairperson of a particular project will inform you of what that project is, where it will be held, etc.  We will ask our District Governor to contribute, and will include messages from our International President.  We will describe how Lions became a service organization, almost 100 years ago and grew to the largest service organization in the world.  You will learn why we became the “Knights of the Blind” as directed by Helen Keller, and how we have lived up to that distinction.

Among the local projects that will be described will be the “Kid’s Fishing Derby” in August and the “Lions’ March for Vision” in the Spring.  Both activities are centered on the youth of Canandaigua; the fishing derby now has former participants bringing their children to the City Pier.  The second annual Lions March for Vision will provide free vision screening for pre-school aged children in Canandaigua.

We are pleased to become part of the Messenger Post Blogs and will keep our submissions interesting and informational.  Keep looking for exciting news about the Canandaigua Lions Club and Lions Club International.