Coon Rapids Lions Club - Lions e-Clubhouse

About Lions - Mission Statement

To create and foster a spirit of understanding among all people for humanitarian needs by providing voluntary services through community involvement and international cooperation.

Lions International Purposes

To Create and foster a spirit of understanding among the peoples of the world.
To Promote the principles of good government and good citizenship.
To Take an active interest in the civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the community.
To Unite the clubs in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship and mutual understanding.
To Provide a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest; provided, however, that partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be debated by club members.
To Encourage service-minded people to serve their community without personal financial reward, and to encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works and private endeavors.

Lions Code of Ethics

To Show my faith in the worthiness of my vocation by industrious application to the end that I may merit a reputation for quality of service.
To Seek success and to demand all fair remuneration or profit as my just due, but to accept no profit or success at the price of my own self-respect lost because of unfair advantage taken or because of questionable acts on my part.
To Remember that in building up my business it is not necessary to tear down another's; to be loyal to my clients or customers and true to myself.
Whenever a doubt arises as to the right or ethics of my position or action towards others, to resolve such doubt against myself.
To Hold friendship as an end and not a means. To hold that true friendship exists not on account of the service performed by one another, but that true friendship demands nothing but accepts service in the spirit in which it is given.
Always to bear in mind my obligations as a citizen to my nation, my state, and my community, as to give them my unswerving loyalty in word, act, and deed. To give them freely of my time, labor and means.
To Aid others by giving my sympathy to those in distress, my aid to the weak, and my substance to the needy.
To Be Careful with my criticism and liberal with my praise; to build up and not destroy.

Coon Rapids Lions Club 2021-2022 Highlights

Collected used eyeglasses and used hearing aids to be distributed to those in need around the world.
Provide money towards eye exams for children in need referred from elementary schools.
Our Lions for Literacy project provided a new book to each child at nine elementary schools in the Anoka-Hennepin School District.
Provided gift bags to our seniors in cooperation with the Coon Rapids Senior Center.
Club members work sessions at Feed My Starving Children packing meals for over seas.
Plant and maintain a memorial garden at Lions Coon Creek Park.
Lions work at at the State Fair ticket booths to raise funds.
Lions work at the Anoka County Fair to raise funds.
Manned kettles for Salvation Army Bell Ringing fundraising campaign.

Donations

ARCC Scholarship Fund
Family Promise -
ACBC Food Shelf
Books for Bango
Kids Fishing Clinic
Anoka County Camp Scholarship
True Friends
Camp Needlepoint
Wasie Cabin at Camp Friendship - Club sponsored
MN Special Olympics Anoka County Cougars
NW Passage High School
Trophies for the handicapped bowling league
CRHS Cardinals for Compassion
Wellness Van
Feed my Starving Children
TLC Toys
Explorer Post 513 (Police Dept. Unit)
Boy Scout Troop 415,
Cub Scout Pack 419
Coon Rapids Lions Foundation, earmarked for Lions Park
Coon Rapids Lions Foundation, earmarked for Books for Bango
Alexandria House
Stepping Stone Emergency Shelter
Friends of Anoka County Library
Hope 4 Youth
Family Promise of Anoka County
Family Table

Prevent Blindness, Saving Sight for Millions of People Around the World

Since Lions Clubs International was founded in 1917, Lions have worked on projects designed to prevent blindness, restore eyesight and improve eye health and eye care for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Indeed, sight is one of Lions defining causes. Through professional training, healthcare system development and wide spread drug treatment distribution, Lions have gained worldwide recognition for their work to improve sight and prevent blindness. Lions around the world are also actively involved in:

Recycling eyeglasses at 18 centers worldwide.

Supporting Lions Eye Banks that provide eye tissue for sight-saving surgeries.

Screening the vision of hundreds of thousands of people every year.

Preventing blindness by providing treatment to those at risk of losing their vision.

Recreational Camps

Lions proudly support recreational camps that are customized to meet the special needs of children and adults who are blind or who have severe vision loss. With input from experts – physicians, departments and ministries of health and local foundations – Lions have organized recreational camps to give these individuals the unique experience of camping.

Vision Screenings - Lions KidsSight

A vision screening is performed to identify possible vision problems. Lions partner with eye care professionals to carry out joint screening events.

Lions Recycle For Sight

In just about any home, one can find a pair of eyeglasses that are no longer being used. That same pair of eyeglasses can change another person's life.

That's why the Lions started the Recycle For Sight program. Everyone can help.

Throughout the year, Lions, Leos and other volunteers collect used eyeglasses and deliver them to regional Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers (LERCs). LERC volunteers clean, sort by prescription strength and package the glasses. Recycled glasses are distributed to people in need in low and middle income commmunities where they will have the greatest impact.

Eyeglass Recycling – How You Can Help

If you have used eyeglasses you no longer need, you can donate them now. Lions accept prescription and reading glasses, sunglasses and plastic and metal frames. Children's glasses are especially needed. Here's how you can help.

The World Health Organization estimates that the eyesight of one-fourth of the world's population can be improved through the use of corrective lenses. Unfortunately for many, a pair of glasses is both unaffordable and inaccessible. In developing countries, an eye exam costs as much as one month's wages, and a single doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.

For nearly 70 years, individual Lions clubs and districts in the U.S., Canada and several other countries have collected used eyeglasses for distribution to the needy in developing nations.

The general public is encouraged to donate their used eyeglasses and sunglasses to your local Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers. The drop off boxes for Lion's Recycling are:

Allina Optical, 9055 Springbrook Drive, NW
America’s Best, 12940 Riverdale Drive NW
Costco, 12547 Riverdale Blvd., NW
CR City Hall, 11155 Robinson Drive NW
CR Recycle Center, 1827 111th Avenue NW
CR Senior Center, 11155 Robinson Drive NW
CR VFW, 1919 Coon Rapids Blvd. NW
CUB Foods, 2050 Northdale Blvd. NW
CUB Foods, 12900 Riverdale Drive NW
Faith Lutheran, 11115 Hanson Blvd. NW
Gearhart Funeral, 11275 Foley Blvd. NW
Mercy Hospital, 4050 Coon Rapids Blvd. NW
Peace Lutheran, 20 Northdale Blvd. NW
Pearle Vision, 12771 Riverdale Blvd. NW
Select Eyecare, 11415 Foley Blvd. NW
YMCA, 8950 Springbrook Drive NW

Lions Clubs International Foundation - Sight Programs

In addition to all of the programs mentioned above, Lions Clubs International Foundation supports several large-scale partnership initiatives, research opportunities and grant programs that aid the Lions in their sight saving efforts