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THE WESTFIELD LIONS CLUB PO BOX 572 Westfield, NJ 07091-0572 908-789-8726 before 7pm after 908-447-4881 or 908-654-3643 District 16-E
NEW MEMBERS ARE WELCOME TO JOIN AT ANY TIME
UPCOMING EVENTS
75th ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT For the children of Westfield
3 Areas Toddler to 7 years old
THE EYEGLASS RECYCLING MAILBOX IS LOCATED ON ELM STREET AT THE NORTH EAST CORNER OF ELM & BROAD STs. USED EYEGLASSES AND HEARING AIDS ARE ACCEPTED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
WE ARE ALSO COLLECTING USED CELL PHONES AND PRINTER CARTRIDGES FOR RECYCLING. Please put them in a separate plastic bag and they can be dropped off in the same mailbox as the glasses. Our recycling company has also added new items to their recycling program. Ecophones now pays for Cell Phones, Ink Jets, DVDs, Laptops, MP3 Players, Digital Cameras, Portable DVD Players, Video Game Consoles & GPS Devices! Visit their website for more information
Items can be dropped at 359 Orenda Circle on the porch. Thank you for your support
April 17, Street Clean Up May 1, White Cane
Regular Meeting April 13
District 16E Calendar of Events
Updated March 29, 2010
Please fax (908-654-3643) or e-mail dslion@juno.com your club's fundraiser or event so it can be included in the District 16E Calendar of Events.
ABOUT THE WESTFIELD LIONS CLUB The Westfield Lions Club originated in 1924, and for over 85 years has served Westfield with pride, with charitable causes and service ranging from the eye/ear mobile and community clean-up campaigns, to its sponsoring of the annual Easter egg hunt at Mindowaskin Park held the Saturday before Easter.
The Westfield Lions are part of Lions International, which is the world's largest service organization, founded in 1917. It is currently comprised of nearly 1.3 million men and women from 200 different countries and geographic areas. Collectively these Lions raise more than $500 million/year for charitable causes and contribute an estimated 60 million hours to community service.
Since 1925, when Helen Keller addressed its national convention, the Lions accepted the promotion of sight conservation and blindness prevention as its international charter and has since then become known as the "Knights for the Blind".
Nationally during the past year, nearly 4 million pairs of used or unwanted eye glasses were deposited by donors into distinctive yellow mail box shaped receptacles identified with the Lions emblem, one being at the corner of Broad and Elm Streets in Westfield. Once collected, they are processed at eye glass recycling centers in North America - the closest to us being New Eyes for the Needy, PO Box 332, Short Hills, NJ 07078, 376-4903 and the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center in West Trenton -http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/vision_eyeglass_jersey.shtml so as to give the priceless gift of enhanced sight to the poor in developing countries.
The Westfield Lions Club supports the Lions Eye Bank of NJ, in Clark, NJ, which supplies a large percentage of New Jersey's corneal transplant needs. The Club also supports the work of the Lions Eye Research Foundation of New Jersey in their efforts to find a cure for common eye diseases.
Local Lions Clubs support several New Jersey summer and year-round camps and rehabilitation centers for visually handicapped children, athletes and adults, as well as the largest Master Tape Library of it's kind in the world (at Princeton) which makes available recorded books to those whose visual handicap makes them unable to read.
Additionally, for middle school students, the Westfield Lions Club sponsors a program of self-esteem and substance abuse prevention called (Lions Quest), supports the Roosevelt Intermediate School Leo Club which encourages students to volunteer part of their free time to the community and helps sustain the annual International Peace Poster Contest.
The Westfield Lions Club is an active service club whose motto, as with all Lions Clubs, is "We Serve". Should you have an interest in finding out more about the Lions organization, we welcome your inquiry addressed to:
The Westfield Lions Club PO Box 572 Westfield, NJ 07091 or your call to (908) 232-8551
Club Details Club Number: 0000006927 District: 16E
President: Alberta Capria-Ryan
Secretary: Douglas Schembs, Jr.
Meeting Place: Meeting Time: 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month 7 pm
About LIONS INTERNATIONAL
Lions Clubs International -- Triumph of an IdeaThe International Association of Lions Clubs began as the dream of Chicago insurance man Melvin Jones, who wondered why local business clubs -- he was an active member of one -- could not expand their horizons from purely business concerns to the betterment of their communities and the world at large. Jones' idea struck a chord within his own group, the Business Circle of Chicago, and they authorized him to explore his concept with similar organizations from around the United States. His efforts resulted in an organizational meeting at a local hotel on June 7, 1917. The 12 men who gathered there overcame a natural sense of loyalty to their parent clubs, voted the "Association of Lions Clubs" into existence, and issued a call for a national convention to be held in Dallas, Texas, USA in October of the same year. Thirty-six delegates representing 22 clubs from nine states heeded the call, approved the "Lions Clubs" designation, and elected Dr. William P. Woods of Indiana as their first president. Guiding force and founder Melvin Jones named acting secretary, thus began an association with Lionism that only ended with his death in 1961. That first convention also began to define what Lionism was to become. A constitution and by-laws were adopted, the colors of purple and gold approved, and a start made on Lionism's Objectives and Code of Ethics. One of the objects was startling for an era that prided itself on mercenary individualism, and has remained one of the main tenets of Lionism ever since. "No Club," it read, "shall hold out the financial betterment of its members as its object." Community leaders soon began to organize clubs throughout the United States, and the association became "international" with the formation of the Windsor, Ontario, Canada Lions Club in 1920. Clubs were later organized in China, Mexico, and Cuba. By 1927, membership stood at 60,000 in 1,183 clubs. In 1935, Panama became home to the first Central American club, with the first South American club being organized in Columbia the following year. Lionism reached Europe in 1948, as clubs were chartered in Sweden, Switzerland, and France. In 1952, the first club was chartered in Japan. Since then, the association has become truly global, with clubs in more than 170 countries and geographical areas worldwide.
The NameThe proper name of the association is "The International Association of Lions Clubs." Many Lions, however, prefer the use of the shorter form of "Lions Clubs International."
The EmblemThroughout the world, Lions are recognized by the emblem they wear on their lapels. It consists of a gold letter "L" on a circular purple field. Bordering this is a circular gold area with two lion profiles at either side facing away from the center. The word "Lions" appears at the top, and "International" at the bottom. Symbolically, the lions face both past and future -- proud of the past and confident of the future. Lions wear their emblem with pride.
The MottoThe motto of every Lion is simply "We Serve". What better way to express the true mission of Lionism?
The SloganThe slogan of the association is "Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation's Safety (LIONS).
Official ColorsThe royal colors of purple and gold were selected as the official colors when the association was organized in 1917. Purple stands for loyalty to friends and to one's self, and for integrity of mind and heart. Gold symbolizes sincerity of purpose, liberality in judgment, purity in life and generosity in mind, heart and purpose toward humanity.
Links
New Jersey Commision for the blind and Visually Impaired
Thank You to Darryl Walker for this webspace
This site last updated 10/19/2009
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