District 23-C
East Hampton Lions Club

The East Hampton Lions Club was chartered on March 30, 1957 with 27 members and was sponsored by the Portland Lions Club. The club has several notable accomplishments such as the Lions Gazebo at Center School, dedicated in 1993 in memory of Lion Moe Lanzi; our name on a room at the library in memory of a late member of our Club; lighting, benches and maintenance of the Cranberry Bog skating area (special thanks to the Kiely family for the use of their property as a recreational area); the Police Explorers trailer; and many more accomplishments throughout our community. Our club continues to address the needs of the community. As with any organization, the accomplishments could not be realized without the dedication of its members and their desire to help others. The Lions motto “WE SERVE” is not only a motto but a definition and a philosophy. The members give of their time and talents in return for the internal gratification and satisfaction of having helped others. Our club, like any organization, is always in need of new members with new ideas to make our community a truly better place to live.

Lions International

The International Association of Lions Clubs is a volunteer service organization comprised of individual clubs grouped under a worldwide organization. Although the youngest major service club organization, formed in a 1917 at a meeting of a group of Chicago, Illinois, businessmen and brought forth by Melvin Jones, Lions Clubs International (headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois) has grown to be the world’s largest, with more than 1.4 million members in over 44,400 clubs in 185 countries and geographical locations. The primary goal of all Lions Clubs is to participate as a group in service to the local and international communities without regard to politics, religion, race or the personal interests of the Lions members, and to create and foster a spirit of understanding and fellowship among the peoples of the world.

Did You KNOW?

Did you know that... Since a 1925 Lions meeting in Chicago, Illinois at which guest speaker Helen Keller challenged the Lions membership to take up the cause of the visually handicapped by becoming “knights of the blind” in the crusade against darkness, service to the blind has been one of Lionism’s more significant activities.
East Hampton, Connecticut has a connection to this great event.
In the spring of 1861, at age 24, an East Hampton store keeper and postmaster named Joel West Smith was totally blinded at a town celebration by the flash of a cannon which misfired and exploded. This started a new beginning of careers and priorities for him. In 1864 he would attend Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, and go on to teach and become an international figure on teaching the blind to tune pianos. He taught at the Perkins Institute in Boston for 30 years, during which time he established a course at the Royal Normal College for the Blind in London; improved the American Braille Alphabet; and adapted it by inventing a typewriter for use by the blind. In 1891 he started "The Mentor" a periodical for the blind and was its editor for the first three years. He wrote and published an article about the accomplishments of a blind Scandinavian girl. This article is what Helen’s teacher Miss Sullivan states as the inspiration which motivated Helen to strive to her great international stature and fame as an intellect and humanitarian despite being blind and deaf from birth -- thus paving way for the historical speech which she was to present at the 1925 Lions meeting.
Note of interest: Joel West Smith (1837-1924) returned to East Hampton in 1894 after thirty years at Perkins. His home purchased in 1870 still stands today on Main Street.

Local Donations and Support

LOCAL DONATIONS AND SUPPORT
East Hampton Ambulance Association
East Hampton Fire Department
East Hampton Senior Citizens
DARE and QUEST programs
Rails for Trails
Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts
Eyeglasses for needy persons
Holiday baskets for the needy
Built a handicap ramp at local resident's home
Donated to Middlesex Hospital hospice program
Boys State Program
Trailer for Police Explorers
Scholarships to high school seniors
Donated to memorial room at library
Constructed a Gazebo in town center
Lighting, fencing, benches and maintenance for Cranberry Bog skating area
Sponsored "after prom party"
Sponsored community health fairs
Co-sponsored Turkey Splash for charity
Co-sponsored town's summer concert program
Co-sponsored construction at Little League field
Provided battery-powered handicapped cart at local grocery store
Provided park benches
Financial aid for fire victims
Support of the East Hampton food bank
Support of Olympic athlete Cindy Brooks
Support of various other local needs

International & State Support

Connecticut Lions Eye Research Foundation (CLERF)
District-wide used eyeglass collection and distribution to places such as Sri Lanka)
Lions Low Vision Center of Eastern Connecticut
Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation
Drug Awareness programs
Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF)
Diabetes Awareness & Research
Campaign SightFirst
Hearing and Speech Conservation
Camp Rising Sun (summer camp for Conn. youth with cancer)
Journey for Sight Walkathon
Conn. Radio Information System (radio service for the blind)

EAST HAMPTON LIONS DONATE TO LOW VISION CENTERS

The East Hampton Lions Club recently donated $1,000 to the Lions Low Vision Centers of Eastern Connecticut. The Low Vision Centers, established in 1990, provide training and counseling in the proper use of aids and devices to individuals with low-vision needs to help them with their daily living. Low vision is best described as insufficient usable vision to accomplish the tasks of daily living, even after conventional treatments such as medication, eyeglasses or surgery. Tasks can include reading, setting a thermostat, writing checks, watching television, using a computer, or seeing the dials on a phone, stove or other appliance. Leading causes of low vision are age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa and cataracts.

Optical and non-optical devices are provided to clients (on a loan or pay-as-you-can basis) to help them optimize their remaining eyesight. The Centers are supported by Lions Club donations, grants, memorial and private contributions. In this photo, Lions Past District Governor Frank P. Mauro (left), a member of the Low Vision Centers' Board of Directors, accepts the check from East Hampton Lions President Tim Csere.

In eastern Connecticut, the Low Vision Centers are located in Willimantic and East Lyme. Individuals who believe they could benefit from the services provided by the centers may call 1-866-255-8655 to speak to a low vision technician or to schedule an appointment.

Club Fundraisers

Food trailer at Belltown Engine Show (last Sun. in April)
Food trailer and fishing contest for Opening Day of Fishing Season (3rd Sat. in April)
Candy sale
Broom sale
Light bulb sale
Food trailer at Haddam Neck Fair (Labor Day Weekend)
EHLC Golf Tournament for scholarships
Food booth at annual fireworks display
Beerfests
Tent rental for backyard parties, weddings, Lions and other events (contact club for availability and prices)