This section of the Web site highlights unique projects and provides ideas that other clubs can use in their hometowns. If your club has a project you would like to submit, please e-mail magazine@lionsclubs.org. Please submit photos in a .jpg or .tif format of 300 dpi or greater.

Download the "Club Public Relations Chairperson's Guide" (PR710) for tips and sample resources for promoting your programs and events.

South African Lions Help Violence Victims, Refugees
The ethnic hostilities and violence against refugees from bordering African nations has taken its toll on many as estimates grow to 25,000 displaced persons, but Lions in Cape Town and elsewhere are providing much-needed help.

Several clubs in Cape Town have combined efforts to take care of children in the Youngfield Military Camp, a provisional camp hosting 1,700 refugees. The responsibility comes in addition to several clubs' efforts to provide food, toiletries and blankets, which remain in short supply for refugees.

Lions Spruce up Enid Park
Sping welcomes nature's seasonal rebirth, but it also welcomes a host of Lions from Enid, Oklahoma, and surrounding areas to conduct an annual spring cleaning at one of the towns recreational parks. About 30 Lions and members of the local Lutheran church pitched in to keep Lions Club Park looking good for the season, raking up debris, planting four eight-foot trees, painting park equipment, the baseball backstop and picnic tables, and fixing the park's swing set.

Rome Lions Sponsor Honduran Vision Mission
For Rome, Georgia, Lions, vision isn't a gift--it's a right. That's why club members decided to sponsor an eye surgery mission to Honduras that helped save the vision of 110 Hondurans suffering from vision impairments.

The club arranged for the donation of surgical equipment from medical equipment providers Alcon, Advanced Medical Optics and Piedmont Hospital of Atlanta as part of its support for the mission, which featured Georgia ophthalmologist Dr. Alan Kozarsky leading a team of vision experts that included Dr. Phil Hoopes, Dr. Cameron Griffith, Dr. Stephen Wils, Dr. Robert Burton and Dr. Carlos Gonzalez. Lions Kyle Coffey, Greg Mayo and Lee Anne Swift also attended.

Patients who received much-needed help included a four year old girl who received a cornea transplant and a 97 year-old man who had been blinded by cataracts for 10 years.Club members alos presented 1,000 pairs of refurbished eye glasses to the Honduran Lions Clubs of Puerto Cortes and Choloma for distribution to those in need.

Bristol Lions Hold Florida House Party
When storms in Bristol, Florida severely damaged the roof of a visually impaired couple's roof, local Lions reached for tools instead of buckets.

Bristol Lions partnered up with Proctor's Construction, Liberty Wilderness Kids Camp, the District 35F disaster chairman and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to replace approximately 700 square feet of roof. The work was a comprehensive replacement, with workers installing new decking, paper and shingles.

Lions Vision Screening Goes Statewide
Much has happened in the six years since Lions clubs in Sussex County, Delaware, began administering a free amblyopia vision screening program to preschool and kindergarten children in the Indian River District elementary school.

The program was so successful in Sussex that the program has been duplicated in Kent and New Castle counties, and Delaware Lions are taking the program statewide. They hope to screen over 5,000 youngsters annually.

Lions Protect Lions In Ukraine
The 751-year history of the Ukrainian city of Lviv is filled with colorful anectdotes, but none are more persistently remindful of the city's culture than the beautifully crafted stone lion statues standing guard throughout its thoroughfares, parks and buildings.

The statues are a historic trademark of Lviv, named for Prince Lew (meaning Lion) in 1256. While the passage of time and increased erosion are threatening these statues, two clubs have vowed to help preserve the landmarks. The Poznan Rotunda (Poland) and Lviv (Ukraine) clubs joined forces last year to start a restoration initiative, which helped collect 2,000 Euro to restore one of the larger statues in the city.

A group of 30 Finnish, Polish and American Lions were so impressed with the restoration work after a visit last year that they too have adopted the effort, and are working to help raise funds for restoration.

Lions Keep Kids Moving With Bikes
The Washington club that keeps heads (and wheels) spinning with its bicycle project is still going strong.

Kelso Lions took a trip to a community subsidized housing facility to give free bikes and helmets to children who live there as part of their service project aimed at repairing and distributing bikes to children in need.

The club has spent about $1,800 this year on the project, which has allowed them to give away almost 100 bikes. Kelso Lions have also partnered with two local bicycle and parts merchants to lessen purchase and repair costs.

Kelso Lions have earned plenty of media attention with the project, and were featured in the April 2007 edition of LQ. (Watch April 2007 LQ)

Lions Help To Ease The Pain
National Cadet Corps (NCC) members suffering the aches and pains of rigorous exercise can thank the Lions club of Mumbai Su Jok for providing a little relief.

Giridhari Luthria and fellow Mumbai Su Jok Lions are traveling to various NCC camps to train the more than 95,000 cadets in Su Jok therapy, an accupressural treatment focusing on the hands and feet intended to relieve muscle, organ and joint pain.

The NCC approved preliminary training of the treatment with its cadets in Maharashtra, and pending the outcome of the training, could expand the program to 1.3 million cadets across India.

Lions Provide Direction To Melvin Jones Gravesite
Visitors paying their respects at the gravesite of Lions Clubs International Founder Melvin Jones will have an easier time finding their way thanks to five Illinois Lions.

International Director Russ Sarver, Council Chairman Dennis MMillan, District Governor Larry Spaeth and Governor-Elect Glenn Cothern teamed in June to erect directional signs pointing the way to Jones' resting place at Mt. Hope Cemetery, 11500 S. Fairfield Ave., in Chicago, Illinois.

Lion Marianne Bailey of the Arlington Heights Lions Club brought attention to the need to tend to the site. The group also plans to provide flowers and flags to honor the site.

Lions Help With Tornado Disaster Relief 
The May 4 tornado that destroyed much of Greensburg, Kansas, USA, left little for the town's residents to salvage, but Lions have stepped into the relief effort.

LCIF has granted $25,000 for immediate needs like clothing, food and medicine, and has established a Greensburg, Kansas, Tornado Disaster Relief Fund. Lions of Florida have pledged $1,000, while District K-1 in Kansas loaded a motor coach with food and provisions and headed for Greensburg to assist in the relief efforts and cook food for volunteers. The Chanute Evening Lions Club and Chanute Branch Club each pledged $500 and have challenged every club in District K-1 to do the same. The Lions ALERT team in District 18-E, Georgia, is planning to collect goods to send to the Greensburg Lions.

Creative Ads For Lions
Lion Gary Mueller of the Crandon, Wisconsin, Lions Club got a helping hand in publicity from his son, who created poster ads using images of yellow-vested Lions in the shapes of eyeglasses, a home and a mortarboard to signify the service of Lions. Mueller's son, also named Gary, is the creative director of an ad agency who wanted to increase awareness of Lions' efforts in the community.

The posters can be downloaded here in different sizes and resolutions.

Natural Disaster Response
Lions in District 20-N, New York, received a $10,000 Emergency Grant from LCIF following an October snow storm. Residents were without power for over a week. Lions bought blankets and pillows for 500 people who were in shelters and handed out 1,000 bottles of bleach, gloves, masks and goggles to residents who had flooding in their basements to help with the clean up.  
 
Lions bonded with community members as they joined together during the disaster, making each other soup and coffee and hot chocolate. Due to the lengthy power outage, everyone in the community lost all of their refridgerated food. Lions made applesauce for residents from the apples that fell from the snow-covered trees.

Eyeglass Distribution
University of San Carlos Campus Lions Club members in the Philippines traveled one hour north to screen and distribute eyeglasses to 300 residents.

Care for Patients
Madero Miramir Lions in Mexico initiated a project to screen 189 patients and provide necessary medications. Lions also applied fluoride treatments to 90 children and gave them toothbrushes to encourage proper oral care.

Helping Hand Across Continents
Cliff McDonald of the New Plymouth Egmont, New Zealand, Lions Club and his wife Lesley, a school teacher, contacted a fellow Lion they met in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, while on vacation two years ago to see how New Zealand Lions could provide a helping hand in the wake of the devastating hurricane.

The club learned of a need at the Joseph Maggiore Elementary School, and Lesley’s school, Puketapu Primary, began a coin trail, which New Plymouth Egmont Lions matched dollar for dollar.

As the Louisiana school’s library was destroyed in the storm, New Zealand Lions also worked to collect books. In all, Lions collected 200 children’s books, enough to fill four large cartons. Lion approached Warehouse Stationary, which donated a large quantity of school stationary. Lions then contacted DHL, which agreed to ship the collected materials free of charge.

Lions Assist Schools
It was a banner night at a recent Bonita Springs, Florida, Lions Club meeting when the club awarded $100,000 in funds to the local county schools. Of the donated funds, $1,900 went to the elementary school's new strings program. The ensemble performed for the Lions as a thank you. Grants in the amount of $9,720 will help the elementary school purchase social studies books and physical education equipment, and four college scholarships in the amount of $1,500 will help four high school seniors finance their college education.

The Lions donate more money to the schools and education programs than any other organization in the county. To raise the money, Lions volunteered 20,000 hours over the last year.

Feeding Project
While doctors conducted an eye screening, members of the University of San Carlos Campus Lions Club in the Philippines prepared and distributed rice congee, cupcakes, biscuits, candies and milk to 500 children.

Computer Lab Established
The Yakacik Lions Club in Turkey aided with the municipality's "Work Without Obstacles" program by setting up a computer lab at the Kayisdagi Family Consulting Center. Lions donated 11 computers- 10 for students and one for the teacher, as well as a printer, equipment cabinet, tables and chairs. Lions also hired a company to install the equipment. To make the lab accessible to disabled persons, the doors were widened, a wheelchair ramp was built and the bathroom was refurbished to make it easily accessible.

Equipment Donation
The Tropical Gardens Lions Club in the Cayman Islands donated a computer to the Lighthouse School. The equipment complements the audiometer and monitor speaker kit previously donated by the Lions clubs of Grand Cayman and Tropical Gardens. The computer will be connected to the other equpment, allowing for the development and maintenance of a database with the students' hearing test results.

Mission for Sight
Twenty-four volunteers took part inthe Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity (VOSH) mission trip to Ecuador. This is the group's 23rd mission trip in 20 years. During the clinic, the VOSH/Ohio mission group screened 2,444 people. Nearly all of the patients screened were in need of glasses, which were provided through Lions eyeglass collection efforts.

VOSH/Ohio annually receives 100,000 pairs of glasses that are sorted and prepared for mission trips around the world. Lions and community volunteers spend an average of 6,000 hours each year sorting and packaging the glasses.

Medical Assistance
Lions within the United Kingdom funded the first fully equipped ambulance for newborns in Bosnia & Herzegovina.