Wherever the need in District 33N - "We Serve!
January 17, 2010
Lions of District 33N,
As you are aware, a great tragedy has befallen the people of Haiti several days ago. The devastation is widespread and many thousands have died as a result of and in the aftermath of the strong earthquake. There is presently great need for the basics of life, food, clothing and clean water. We have seen the news clips of supplies being landed and rushed into the hands of those in need.
What we have not seen or heard is that Lions International was one of the first to respond with an immediate disaster grant of $50,000.00 within twenty four hours of the earthquake followed by another grant of $75,000.00 rushed to the Lions of the Dominican Republic for use in Haiti. This grant was sent to the Lions of the DR because none of the four Lions clubs in Haiti had been reached as of Sunday.
Immediate Past International President Al Brandel, now LCIF Chairman, has issued the call to Lions to help meet the on-going needs of the Haitian people. Some 33N Lions Clubs have already answered the call by making presentations for Haitian relief at the just concluded Mid-Winter conference. I ask each of you to remember our International Foundation when making a donation to the relief effort. Remember that 100% of the money donated to LCIF and designated for Haitian Relief will be used for that purpose. Long after other organizations have left the area, Lions Clubs members will still be in place serving, as always, without compensation and solely for the benefit of those in need.
I do ask that when you make a donation to LCIF, either personally or through your club, that CST Bob be informed of the amount. Each District in Massachusetts will be making the same request in order that we total the MD 33 donations to the end of presenting IPIP Al with a ceremonial check at the Melvin Jones recognition and installation day to be held in February.
Please make this small extra effort to help those in such desperate need and show once again why Lions International is the world's greatest service organization.
DG Dave
Our Founder- Mr. Melvin Jones
District 33N Lions and Leos have been the front runner of the 5 districts in Massachusetts in raising funds for our principal state project Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund, Inc. Since 1952 and as of June 30, 2007, District 33N Lions and Leos have donated $6,900,000, more than any other district in the state and more than 28% of the $25,000,000 donated in Massachusetts since the fund was established.
The District 33N Lions and Leos actively support other state youth projects such as: Youth Speech Contest, All State Band and Toys for Tots.
The District 33N Lions and Leos support International Programs such as the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), Diabetes and eye health awareness programs, Youth Exchange, Peace Poster Contest, and recycle tens of thousands of used eyeglasses annually. These glasses are cleaned, sorted and distributed in third world countries providing sight to millions who might never be able to acquire eyeglasses. LCIF provides millions of dollars to a variety of projects around the world including relief for disasters such as 911, Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami.
District 33N supports a state of the art Eyemobile, which travels the district providing free vision and hearing screening clinics at various health fairs and public events. District 33N supports a Visual Aids Foundation which is unlike any other in the world of Lionism. The Visual Aids Foundation provides free low vision equipment, particularly CCTV’s, to legally blind residents of the district.
Each club within the district provides a wide array of services to residents in our communities. These include eye exams and glasses for the needy, scholarships to assist students going on to higher education, Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for those less fortunate and a variety of other services which may be needed within the individual club’s community.
The over 1.3 million Lions who are active in 200 countries and geographical locations constitute the world’s largest organization of service clubs. Lions Clubs International was founded in Chicago in 1917. Globally, Lions clubs are known for their commitment to blindness prevention and services to the legally blind and visually impaired. This service began when Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become her "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness" during the association's 1925 International Convention. In July of 2007, Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) ranked as the best non-governmental organization (NGO) worldwide – selected from among 34 global organizations.
Wherever the need in District 33N - "We Serve!" 
