Club Projects
The Lake Sumter Lions are proud to support our local & state communities
through various club projects.
Lions Provide Donation to Soup Kitchen
On March 21st, Lake Sumter Lions Club presented a check for $1900 to the Wildwood Soup Kitchen. Pictured below are Wildwood Soup Kitchen volunteers Gail Merrell, Audrey Edwards, VP Ed Perry. Presenting the check were Treasurer Lion Diane Walker, and Secretary Lion Doris Brennan. PDG Ed Mello and Lion Cecile Mills also enjoyed a delicious meal after the presentation.
Lions Present Donation to Local Emergency Response Organization
Lake Sumter Lions donated a check for $1,500 to the charitable foundation (FOREST) of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) of The Villages. As a previous guest speaker, the CERT Commander shared his organization's role in disaster response with the Lake Sumter Lions and spoke about emergency preparedness for such disasters as hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. CERT plans to use the funds for training volunteers and in purchasing supplies. Pictured below are President Clyde, Lion Linda and CERT Commander Wayne Ward.
Lions Support New Vision for Independence, Inc at Health Fair
Lake Sumter Lions continue to provide diabetes screening services to the community by participating in a Health Fair, sponsored by the New Vision for Independence, Inc. New Vision for Independence is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides free rehabilitation instruction to blind and visually impaired adults and babies in Lake and Sumter counties and The Villages, enabling them to return to a life of independence. There are over 13,000 blind or visually impaired adults in Lake and Sumter counties and New Vision is the only organization providing services to this population and region. Again, thanks goes to Lion Mary Grace who organized the Lions diabetes testers for this event.
Lions Donate to Southeastern Guide Dogs
In February, several of Lake Sumter Lions visited the Southeastern Guide Dog facility in Palmetto, FL. After the group’s tour, Treasurer Lion Diane and Secretary Lion Doris presented them with two checks from Lake Sumter Lions Club. A $1500 check was designated for their Paws for Patriots Program and a $1000 check was for their Guide Dog Program. You can learn more about the SE Guide Dogs at http://www.guidedogs.org/
Lions Conduct Diabetes Screenings at Health Fair
What better place for Lions to conduct diabetes screening than at a Health Fair sponsored by The Villages Diabetes Support Group. Lake Sumter Lions expended over 55 hours setting up and screening 108 particpants. Of those tested, 73 had low ratings while 35 had higher then normal ratings. Thanks goes to Lion Mary Grace who headed this project, making sure adequate supplies were on hand to test attendees. Thanks!
Club Members Tested for Diabetes
Using the knowledge and skills recently acquired at the MD35 Diabetes Testing Class, four newly certified Lions tested their own club members for diabetes at a recent Lake Sumter Lions club meeting. Members of the club were first asked to fast, not eating anything after the midnight before. Then members were tested via meters and strips donated by the MD35 Diabetes Awareness Foundation. Chairwoman Lorraine organized the testing. Lion Linda arranged for the Daily Sun reporter to come and prepare a newspaper article on the event. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a breakfast of casseroles, muffins, and fruit.
MD35 Diabetes Testing Class
Eight Lions from the Lake Sumter Lions Club were trained and certified as diabetes screeners on January 21st. This makes over 25 members who have been certified by the MD35 Diabetes Awareness Foundation. (Please see www. dafmd35.org for more info about the Foundation.) Lions who are certified diabetes screeners volunteer their time at local health fairs and events to screen members of the public for free.
From left to right: Lions Jean, Ed, Ruth Ann, Chuck, Jane, Barbara, Jerry and Judy.
Judging at the Science Fair
Lions Club members, along with other leaders in The Villages community, served as judges in the annual Middle and High Schools Science Fair. On December 8, judges reviewed the many science projects and provided ratings for each in four categories. Below are pics of some of the Lions who served as judges.
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Lions Peace Poster Contest
Over 50 entries were received for the 2011-2012 Lions International Peace Poster Contest from 5th Graders of The Villages Charter Middle School. Judges Bob, Cecile, and Paul had a tough job in narrowing the poster entries to the top four. The winner of the Peace Poster competition is Yasmin Melendez. Along with the other finalists, Yasmin was recognized at the first Lions meeting in January with a Certificate of Appreciation and $100 check. Her poster was forwarded to District 35-O for the further competition at that higher level.
Winning Poster
Top Three Runners-Up
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Christmas Donation
On December 7, Lake Sumter Lions donated $412 to The Villages Media Food Drive. In lieu of individual Christmas gifts this year, members "passed the hat" and donated to this special food cause. Their individual donations were supplemented with a donation from the club. Below is a photo of club members presenting the check: (left to right) Club Sec'y Doris, The Villages rep, Club Treasurer Diane and Public Relations Chair Linda.
Lions Donate Low Vision Machine
The Villages Library is the recipient of a low vision machine, donated by the Lake Sumter Lions Club. The vision machine magnifies the printed subject matter, thus making it easier for visually-impaired individuals to see and read. Below Immediate past president Sharon and Sight Chair Glenn present the low vision machine to The Villages Librarian.
Lions Collect Used Eyeglasses and Hearing Aids
Specially-marked boxes are located at The Villages Recreation Centers, south of Rt 466, for the collection of used eyeglasses, eye cases, and hearing aids. The public is welcome to deposit these used items in the boxes located near the entry. The eyeglasses and hearing aids are recycled and distributed to needy individuals, to include those in the state of Florida.
Eyeglass and Hearing Aid collection boxes can be found at the following locations:
Allamanda Regional Center
Barnes & Noble (see an employee)
Canal Street Recreation Center
Coconut Cove Recreation Center
Colony Regional Center
Hibiscus Recreation Center
Cornerstone Hospice on CR 466
Lake Miona Regional Center
Laurel Manor Regional Center
Ocala Eye at Laurel Manor
The Villages Public Library
Publix at Colony Plaza (Pharmacy)
Publix at Southern Trace (Rest Area & Pharmacy)
Peepers At Colony Plaza
Seabreeze Regional Center
Wal Mart CR 466
Lions Club Chairperson Harriett H. reported that the club (and community) had donated a total of 5,500 used eyeglasses, hearing aids, lenses, and eyeglass cases in calendar year 2011. Recently, Lion Harriett reported that in 2012, already 1,551 used eyeglasses have been donated. Lions say THANKS to the community for supporting us in this service activity.
Lake Sumter Lions Bob, Cecile, and Harriet (wearing vests) delivered boxes of used eyeglasses to Lion Walt at the Florida Lions Eyeglass Reclamation Center in Ocala. Also donated were lenses, eyeglass cases and hearing aids.
Lions Conduct Diabetes Screenings
At the Health Expo on Nov 4th at the Savannah Center, members of the Lake Sumter Lions Club conducted diabetes screenings for 99 attendees. The club's Diabetes Chairwoman Lorraine reports that the club would have screened more people but they ran out of lancets. Recognizing that diabetes can cause impairment of a person's sight, Lions are active in helping individuals to identify any diabetes issues.
Thanks goes to the following Lions who worked at the Health Expo: Doris, Esther, Bob and Cecile, Gary and Sharon, Jane, Elaine, Connie and Tom and Lorraine.
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Lions Donate to Local Causes
This past Spring the Lake Sumter Club voted to provide $$ donation to two key causes within The Villages: The Moffitt Cancer Center and FOREST (the charitable foundation of CERT). Below are photos of the presentation of the "big checks."
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| Past King Lion Sharon presents a check to the Moffitt Cancer Society rep. | Past King Lion Sharon and Current King Lion Clyde present a check to FOREST/CERT. |
Lions Support Florida Groups
The Lake Sumter Lions Club provides monetary support to several organizations within the state of Florida who specialize in the treatment or support of sight-impaired individuals. Some of these organizations are:
- Southeastern Guide Dogs
website: www.guidedogs.org
- Florida Lions Conklin Center for the Blind
website: www.conklincenter.org
- Florida Lions Foundation for the Blind
website: http://www.floridalionsfoundation.org
- Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research
website: www.lionseyeinstitute.org
