Dear Lion,
Throughout this month, I
have enjoyed meeting many of you at the annual Lions forums. While I was in New
Zealand for the ANZI forum, I had the honor of opening a transitional community
facility at St.
Albans in the city of Christchurch. This facility will support
the ongoing needs of a community that was impacted by the earthquakes in 2010
and 2011. It was inspiring to see the hard work and the generous donations of
Lions result in this project that will help so many people. This is what Lions
do so well - we help people in need all over the world.
When Hurricane Isaac
flooded parts of the United States, I was proud to know that many Lions made
donations and supported relief efforts for this disaster. The same is true for
the typhoons in MD300 Taiwan, Japan and Korea, as well as the flooding in the
Philippines. Because of you, Lions can help these communities affected by
disasters.
I am excited to share
with you some of the other amazing things that Lions are doing through our
Foundation. Just last month, LCIF awarded grants that expand Lions' efforts towards
blindness prevention. SightFirst grants will treat diabetic retinopathy,
equip hospitals, provide cataract surgeries and promote targeted eye health
initiatives.
At the same time, Lions
are expanding their support for youth through Lions Quest. The program is now in 72 countries,
reaching more students than ever. Through grants awarded last month, students
all over the world are learning important life skills, like how to deal with
problems in school, avoid substance abuse and treat each other with
respect.
In addition to Lions
Quest and SightFirst projects, Lions continue to meet needs worldwide through the One Shot, One Life: Lions Measles Initiative.
We are close to meeting our goal of raising US$10 million for measles to meet
the Gates Foundation challenge grant. With each dollar raised, we can vaccinate
a child against measles. With each vaccination, a child will not have to
experience measles or its side effects - including blindness, and even death. I
believe that as Lions, together we can make a difference.
Sincerely,
Wing-Kun Tam
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