1.35 million Lions in more than 46,000 clubs all around the world are celebrating their 100th birthday during the 2017-18 year.  Their motto is and has always been “We Serve.”  We do try to live up to that each day.

In 1925 Helen Keller charged the Lions to become “Knights of the Blind.” That has been our main thrust: to conquer blindness around the world by giving to eye research, vaccinating thousands of children against measles and river blindness, and providing recycled eyeglasses.

So far this year, the Columbus Lions Club has recycled about 2,000 pairs of used eyeglasses. We have paid for eye exams and bought 22 pairs of eyeglasses for those in our community who cannot afford to buy them. We do vision screening around the area with our Welch-Allyn Spot camera. We have Lions brooms for sale also; call Jim Clement at 828-817-4625.

All of the money we receive from donations and fundraisers (yard sales, RADA sales, broom sales) pays for these and other services to our community; the Lions pay for all the club expenses.

We would like for you to visit/join the Columbus Lions Club. We meet the first and third Thursday evenings at 6:30 at Calvert’s Kitchen in Columbus. For questions or more information, call Fran Goodwin, president, at 828-894-2505.

– article submitted by Garland Goodwin