Letter to Editor: Seaford Lions Club Making a Difference

It was recently that the IRS advised that the Lions Eye Bank Foundation, Seaford, had lost its tax exempt status for failure to file required reports. 

Members of the Seaford Lions Club were instrumental in the founding of the Long Island Eye Bank in 1986.  It is located at North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, and serves Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Brooklyn. It does a fantastic job helping to get corneal transplants so that individuals can have the gift of sight. I joined the Lions because my mother was the recipient of two corneal transplants due to the great work of the foundation.

The Seaford Lions Club is a separate entity and continues to be in compliance with IRS regulations and is a tax exempt 501 C (3) charity.  Our club raised $30,000 last year and as mandated, all monies are spent locally to help those in need. 

We send a local diabetic child to camp each year so that they can learn about and prevent diabetes complications, like blindness, in later life.  We award four $2000 scholarships each year to graduating seniors from Seaford. We co-chair the Seaford Community Blood Drive, support the Childrens Halloween Party and sponsor an outdoor concert. We assist local Outreach Programs to provide necessities to needy families at Thanksgiving and the Holidays. We support local Boy Scout Troops and honor all Eagle Scout candidates. We sponsor two Guide Dogs and last year one was assigned to a Seaford resident. Seaford students are rewarded each year for academic achievement, musical ability  and at two Poster Contests.

We are proud to be Lions and our motto is “We Serve” and we will celebrate our 60^th Anniversary next year. It is a wonderful way to be part of the community and give back to others.  You can visit our website at seafordlions.org and contact us at: SEAFORDLIONS@AOL.com; or PO Box 1722, Seaford, NY 11783; or my phone 516-781-5184.  We meet for a dinner meeting at Runyons in Seaford on the first and third Tuesdays at 7 PM. Come join us.