Wilmington Lions Club established a scholarship fund for visually impaired students with the help of UNCW Development Officer Paris Roebuck.

Worst Devasting Flood in Kentucky History:   The Lions Step Up Record flooding hit Eastern Kentucky in July and August with reports of mudslides, landslides, and water up to people’s roof tops. Thirty-seven people have died as a result of the high water. Many are still without power and clean water. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear gave an update on Friday, the eighth day of flooding in the state, confirming that the death toll of thirty-seven across five counties has not increased. (Kentucky floods: Flood ravaged eastern Kentucky braces for more rain and flash flooding - CNN,  August 5, 2022)   Gov. Andy Beshear called it "one of the worst, most devastating flooding events in Kentucky's history" and said the flooding has already reached "extreme, historic levels." It was reported that last week's storm in eastern Kentucky sent floodwaters as high as rooftops. "In the days afterward, more than 1,300 people were rescued as teams searched in boats and combed debris-clogged creekbanks.”  (Kentucky storms cause flood warning issue to extend through Sunday | Fox News) The Wilmington Lions Club has donated $500 for disaster relief for Eastern Kentucky. Lions Clubs International Foundation has sent $10,000 for disaster relief to Eastern Kentucky for flood victims with more to come. Funds can be sent to NC Lions 31-N c/o 214 Jessie T. Bryan Road Kinston, NC 28504 Pease make out checks to NC Lions 31-N with Kentucky Flood Victims on the memo line You may also make donations online for disaster relief to Lions Clubs International Disaster Relief    https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/donate

Snacks for Front-line Heroes The Wilmington Lions Club wants to thank all our front-line heroes, who answer the call to service to be there for us and to keep our community safe. We especially want to honor and thank the New Hanover County Regional Emergency Medical Services, the officers, paramedics and staff who work to keep us protected and safe during this global pandemic. They leave their homes each day while their families worry about their safety while they serve us. The Wilmington Lions Club of Wilmington, NC, is proud to take “Snacks for our Front-Line Heroes” to the New Hanover County Regional EMS. A total of twenty-seven cases of sports drinks, power bars, chips and other snacks were delivered to the 5301 Wrightsville Ave location. These frontline heroes make the selfless decision to protect and serve during this unprecedented health crisis. We thank them and their loved ones for their devotion to duty.

Surf Camp and Surf Dogs for the Kids’ Cancer Surf Camp 2021

It was the privilege of the Wilmington Lions Club with the help of the Trolly Stop on Fountain Drive to host a Hot Dog Fete for the children, parents, volunteers, and instructors at the 2021 Kids’ Cancer Surf Camp at Wrightsville Beach on August 5, 2021.

A full Hot Dog Fete including the full Trolley Stop’s hot dog menu, chips, cookies, and lemonade were provided.

Surf camps by non-profit Indo Jax Charities serve children facing a variety of life challenges, including visual impairment, autism, cancer, loss of parents, and juvenile diabetes.   

Over 6000 children for 13 years have been served and helped by the IndoJax Charities.

“The ocean is sort of a microcosm of what an overall life is like. You have ups and downs. You are going to get a wipe out and these kids have had wipe outs,” said Jack Viorel, Indo Jax founder. “And when they catch that first wave and they stand up and ride it all the way to shore, you can just see that they've changed in the way that they think about themselves.”

The Wilmington Lions Club also donated $500 for the camp.

Contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and corporate sponsors fund the surf camp programs.

For more information, and to find out how you can get involved, contact Jack Viorel at jack@indojaxsurfschool.com, or (910)274-3565. The mailing address for contributions is 8935 Tilbury Dr, Wilmington, NC 28411.

More information on the surf camps and IndoJax Surf School can be found online at

Indo Jax® Surf School - Private Surf Lessons, Surf Camps in Wrightsville Beach, NC and Wilmington, NC (indojaxsurfschool.com). (https//indojaxsurfschool.com)

A New Way to Screen Eyes

The Wilmington Lions Club of Wilmington, NC, was chartered in 1922.  Since its founding the Lions have been known for their aid and work with the blind and visually impaired.

One of the key and distinctive projects of the Wilmington Lions Club has been providing eye screenings and vision services to the Greater Wilmington Community.

For many years the Wilmington Lions Club has used eye screening charts to screen the eyes of many local children and adults.  The Club also utilizes the NC Vision Van, properly named The 21st Century Mobile Screening Unit to screen vision and hearing screenings.

Something new has come to New Hanover County, Pender County and Brunswick County.  Our counties are part of Zone 3 and 5 of the NC Lions District 31-N.  We have just received a Lions Club International Foundation matching grant for $12,064 to purchase 3 Welch Allen Spot Screeners.

The Wilmington Lions Club helped to organize and pay for the Welch Allen Spot Screeners. 

This camera is a specialized portable handheld device designed to help Lions quickly and easily detect vision issues on patients from 6 months of age through adult. Spot Vision Screener technology is changing the way routine vision screening is done.

The Spot Vision Screener can screen for and detect six amblyopic risk factors in children as young as 6 months through adults.  It detects

• Myopia (nearsightedness)
• Hyperopia (farsightedness)
• Astigmatism (blurred vision)
• Anisometropia (unequal refractive power)
• Strabismus (eye misalignment)
• Anisocoria (unequal pupil size)

This camera provides an automated, objective vision screening that reduces the risk of missing pre-amblyopic and amblyopic risk factors in children and adults.  

“Early screening leads to early detection, which helps ensure that children get the follow-up care they need,” said Lions 31-N Project Chair George Holston, “We want to make sure that correctible vision problems don’t stand in the way of our children learning and seeing the world clearly.”

In addition to the matching grant from LCIF, funds were raised by participating Lions Clubs in Zones 3 and 5:  Bolivia Lions Club, Burgaw Lions Club, Calabash Lions Club, Hampstead Lions Club, Oak Island Lions Club, Shallotte Lions Club, and the Wilmington Lions Club.

Money was also donated by the Catherine Kennedy Home Foundation, the Brunswick Electric Membership Corp., Four County Care Trust, the Ocean Ridge Charities Association and the Pender County Farm Bureau. 

Already over 1500 children in New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick County have received a vision screening using the new Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener.

This is a wonderful tool that we have to help our communities.  It makes vision screening easier for us as Lions and volunteers while requiring minimal effort from the child or patient.  If you’d like to learn more about the Spot Vision Screener please contact your local Lions Club.  

More information can be found at http://lionskidsightusa.org/ or by contacting Lion George Holston at wilmingtonnclionsclub@gmail.com

1 “Vision Screening.” Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 27 February 2015,

All requests for aid from the Wilmington Lions Club in obtaining eye glasses and vision exams are referred to the North Carolina Division of Services for the Blind.  

Wilmington NC Lions Club in the News  

The Wilmington Lions Club was organized on May 17, 1922.  .  The Wilmington Lions Club was among the first 10 original Lions Clubs started in 1922 in North Carolina, being the fourth to be charted.  The Wilmington Lions Club is located in Wilmington, NC.  We are part of Lions Multiple District 31 North Carolina.  Our sub-district is 31-N which makes up 22 clubs in the southeastern part of North Carolina.

Lions meet the needs of local communities and the world every day because they share a core belief - to serve their community.

Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization. We have 1.35 million members in more than 45,000 clubs in more than 206 countries and geographic areas.

Founded in 1917, we are best known for fighting blindness, but we also volunteer for many different kinds of community projects - including caring for the environment, feeding the hungry and aiding seniors and the disabled.

By conducting vision screenings, equipping hospitals and clinics, distributing medicine and raising awareness of eye disease, Lions work toward their mission of providing vision for all. We have extended our commitment to sight conservation through countless local efforts and through our international SightFirst Program, which works to eradicate blindness.

Our community projects often support local children and schools through scholarships, recreation and mentoring. Internationally, we offer many programs, including the Peace Poster Contest, Youth Camps and Exchange and Lions Quest.

Since 1968, the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) has awarded more than US$700 million in grants to support Lions humanitarian projects around the world. LCIF was also ranked the number one nongovernmental organization in a 2007 study by The Financial Times.

Together, our Foundation and Lions are helping communities following natural disasters by providing for immediate needs such as food, water, clothing and medical supplies – and aiding in long-term reconstruction.

Our motto is "We Serve." Lions are part of a global service network, doing what we can to help our local communities.

For more about Lions Clubs, go to www.lionsclubs.org

The address of the Wilmington NC Lions Club Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/wilmingtonnclionsclub/

Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.