Grafton Lions Club Kicks Off Winter Holidays in Style

Submitted by the Grafton Lions Club

One of the lesser known holiday gems in the area is the festive, entertaining and fun gala held annually to join in holiday cheer and raise much needed funds to support Lions club charities locally and around the globe. One of the special features of this event is the awarding of the Lions Humanitarian Of The Year Award, which is given to a Grafton citizen who gives continually of their time to improve the lives of the residents of Grafton without looking for recognition for their efforts.

Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) supports and develops international humanitarian programs that serve people in need. With the dedication and work of Lions, LCIF is able to improve millions of lives through their high-impact initiatives. Their international humanitarian programs are focused in four main areas:

Preserving Sight
Since 1990, Sight First has been making quality eye care accessible to those who most need it. Sight First has made it possible for more than 30 million people to have improved or restored vision.

Serving Youth 
Over the past 25 years, 12 million young people in 72 countries have benefited through Lions Quest, our youth development program for kindergarten through 12th grade.

Providing Disaster Relief
In times of disaster, Lions meet immediate needs such as food, water and shelter with funds from LCIF. For larger-scale disasters, the Foundation remains committed to helping communities rebuild into the future.  A significant amount of funds is being diverted to help relief efforts for the victims of hurricane Sandy.

Humanitarian Efforts 
LCIF is active in a variety of international humanitarian efforts, such as supporting the construction of homes for the disabled, providing vision screenings to Special Olympics athletes and combating measles.

The Grafton Lions club needs the support of our community this holiday season to continue to support these efforts. We all have friends and family that have been impacted in one way or another by natural disasters, loss of vision, limited access to quality medical services, or youth looking for ways to make an impact.  You can make a contribution in several ways.  One is to purchase tickets to attend, but the way to provide the greatest benefit is to donate goods or services that can be auctioned off that night.  If you are a crafter, an artist, or would like to donate other items such as gift certificates to a restaurant, or a service, we will gladly accept all donations.

You can also purchase tickets for the Dec. 1 dinner, which will be held at The Polish National Home.

Cocktails 6:00 Dinner 7:00 Cost: $25. Contact Sue Robbins 508-839 -6862 or Noelle Dowd 508-839-3618 to purchase tickets or make a donation.

The Grafton Lions Club is in its 58^th year of serving the Town of Grafton and its residents. The Club consists of 43 members and meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at its clubhouse located off of 68 Brigham Hill Road in Grafton. If you are interested in becoming a member please call 508-839-7894.