NEW president of the Lions Club of Kingsburgh, Pat Wilson is looking forward to her second term in office, after being inducted at a lunch on Saturday, 15 August.
“It is a great privilege and an honour to be elected to stand again as president. I believe I can look forward to the year ahead with confidence, as I have the support of such a special, dedicated and committed team working alongside me as we, together, reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves with compassion and with serving hands in the true spirit of Lionism,” said Pat.
Her goals for the forthcoming year are to strengthen membership; to continue with and expand on the many projects already in place and at the same time remain alert to the ever-increasing needs and to identify and extend service projects where possible.
“To raise additional funds to help meet the needs, I have in mind a number of fundraising events and activities.”
During her induction speech, Pat told guests she was proud of the club’s achievements during the past year. “I look back with great pride regardless of the fact we are only a small club, having started the year with only four members. We made a difference in the community by uplifting the lives of many in need through our numerous projects and activities. Although we started the year with four members, we doubled membership.”
The club focused its activities on a broad area of needs, embracing indigent families, pensioners, children’s homes, old age homes, trauma unit, Sizani Creche, A Centre That Serves, Bobbi Bear, Kingsburgh Child and Family Welfare and others.
Some of the bigger projects the club concentrated on were:
- Sight: Arranged eye tests for a number of pensioners and purchased spectacles for those in need. About 750 pairs of used spectacles were collected, which were sent to Lions Operation Bright Sight. An enormous number of can ring pulls were collected, which went towards the training of guide dogs for the blind.
- Hearing: Paid the annual fees to enable a deaf child to attend the School for the Hearing Impaired.
- Food security: Each month, non-perishable food and toiletries were collected, which amounted to R45,000. It was distributed to needy people and centres.
- Senior citizens: Treated 80 residents in the frail care unit at Mooi Hawens to jelly and ice-cream, twice during the year. Read to partially sighted and blind women at Mooi Hawens. Assisted at the Sun’s seniors’ picnic and served meals to 200 elderly. At Christmas, made and distributed gift bags to residents at Jabulani. Attended the Illovo Senior Citizens Club’s monthly meeting, after which entertainment was provided.
- Children: Read to children at Mother of Peace (MOP) for Literacy Day. Supplied chickens to MOP and Palm Tree Care Centre for their Christmas lunch and made up 150 bags of Christmas party treats for children, which were distributed to various organisations. Treated 10 children from Palm Tree to the circus and supplied treats.
- Diabetes: Through sponsorship, enabled a diabetic child to attend the Camp Roaring Lions Diabetes Camp and provided free diabetes testing to the public.
The club also purchased and donated four wheelchairs to Jona Vaughan Home and two to Mooi Hawens and addressed a variety of needs in the community.
“Without the generous support of the public, Torga Optical, family and friends, it would not have been possible for to us to meet all these needs. I can confidently say, that during the past year, the club has achieved much, thanks to the hardworking, caring and service-minded members.”
