What Was GivenYou may be tired of seeing repeated and perhaps redundant messages about the plight of the Longmeadow Lions Club and to some degree all civic clubs throughout Western Mass. and across America that is the problem of the declining and deminishing numbers of members in perhaps all clubs with some notable, viable clubs.
Last week Courtney Llewellyn, the Reminder Assistant Editor at the Reminder, my contact and valid cohort at the paper, in the 8/15/08 edition touched upon some of our contributions to the town, both to groups and individuals, but because of my experience with the club since 1972 I can recollect as some of you and some of our former members can recall, we give money on a state and national level to such Lions organizations as Mass Eye Research, Lions International Foundation, Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund, Lions Orthoptic Clinic of Western Massachusetts on Maple Street in Springfield, Fidelco seeing eye dog training center in Bloomfield, Conn., Emergency Sight and Hearing, Longmeadow Police Department's RAD program, Longmeadow High School senior scholarship program, financial assistance to help the town procure a town ambulance in 1994, Sight First campaign, monetary donation towards a fence for the Longmeadow Little League Association, monetary donation presented to YMCA Careerships program, tables to American Legion hall, donation to the Longmeadow Fire Department Retirement Fund, two pool tables presented to Longmeadow Teen Center, many Halloween and Christmas parties to the children of Longmeadow, monetary donations to Babe Ruth Baseball League of Longmeadow, donations to Parks and Recreation for town swimming pool, to Longmeadow Girl Scout troops, hand-held radar unit to Longmeadow Police Department, fetal heart monitor to Providence Hospital, donation of a cot to American Red Cross Blood Bank, the Bloodmobile, all presented to the town of Longmeadow and many more, too long to mention.
Individually, we of District 33Y, comprised of 44 Western Massachusetts clubs in four counties, purchased a $150,000 Eyemobile, with $75,000 coming from District 33Y and $75,000 from Lions International (in Chicago), gave eye glasses to a young lady at Center School, $1,000 to the Habitat For Humanity, donated AED Unit to Longmeadow High School, two blood pressure kits to Senior Center, safety flat to playground behind the Glenwood School, and more.
Please don't let us fail you in the future. Proceeds from Long Meddowe Days, SVI skate and snowboard sale as well as candy sales, lightbulbs in face of supermarket competition, eye glass collections in canisters at local stores don't let Longmeadow lose this vital, visual organization. Our loss is Longmeadow's loss. Our motto "We Serve."
Dick Holmes
Longmeadow Lions Club
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