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Jeff Green | Apr 02, 2009

Your Sharbot Lake & District Lions Club has a lot of work to do and they need your help. The club is actively looking for community-minded people who want to make a difference in the Sharbot Lake area and even around the world. Both men and women can become Lions and in fact, we have several couples who enjoy Lionism as a rewarding family activity. We do work hard but there is also a social aspect to membership and we enjoy many fun activities with other Lions clubs, especially those from nearby communities in Eastern Ontario.

The first Lions Club in Canada was founded in 1920 and in 1925 Helen Keller challenged all Lions to become her “Knights of the blind in her crusade against darkness”. Lions Clubs around the world have taken that challenge very seriously and have worked tirelessly toward the eradication of blindness everywhere. A program called “Sight First” has raised millions of dollars since its inception and has helped hundreds of thousands who have been inflicted with the diseases and other causes of blindness and sight-related problems.

We have many other important projects of which we are very proud, including our “Vision Screening” program. Since 2004 we have been testing the eyesight of local kindergarten and grade one children in the elementary schools of Plevna, Mountain Grove, Parham and Sharbot Lake using high-tech equipment purchased with the monies we have collected through our various fund raising activities. Beginning in September we will be adding a hearing test with a newly-acquired instrument designed specifically to be used with younger children. We are also happy to provide funding for the “No Child Without” program, in which your local Lions Club works hand-in-hand with the Medic Alert Association in providing bracelets to every child in our area who may need one to keep them safe at school, in the home and everywhere in between.

Some of our other duties are the Santa Claus and Canada Day parades, blood donor clinics, Adopt-A-Highway, and our ever-popular seniors’ night, to mention a few. Among our fundraising activities are Chocolate Easter Bunny sales coming up on March 28, Gas-O-Rama in early June and our on-going raffle tickets for $500 worth of gasoline.

It’s grrrreat to be a Lion. And what a grrrreat feeling of pride and accomplishment to know that you can positively affect some aspect of another person’s life. Many hands make light work and we have lots of work to do. Whether you have a few hours a week or only a couple of hours a month, your Lions Club needs you. Wouldn’t YOU want to help?

Would you like to make a difference in your community and have a lot of fun doing it? To get involved with your local Lions Club, contact any Lions member or call 613-375-6318 or 613-375-8190 for more information.

The Lions Club – We Serve! And YOU can too!