For the 19th year, six local Lions Clubs — Deer Park, Freedom District, Greater Carroll, Roaring Run, South Carroll and Taylorsville-Winfield — have joined forces to raise funds for three worthy causes by hosting the Region IV, Zone 3 Golf Tournament in honor of Past International Director Richard Liebno of Westminster. The causes include the District 22W Hearing and Speech Program, the American Diabetes Association and the Lions Vision Research Foundation, Inc. (LVRF).
Past tournament participation has enabled these Carroll County Lions Clubs to donate $112,000 to Lions vision research programs, the American Diabetes Association and Lions hearing programs. In 2019, $12,000 was donated to these causes.
Hearing Preservation, Awareness and Action became a major Lions activity in 1971. Deafness is a communication handicap and, statistically, hearing and speech impairments are more common than blindness. The District 22W Hearing Preservation, Awareness and Action program provides low cost hearing aids to those in our local community who meet the criteria for hearing aid assistance through the Starkey Foundation and local audiologists.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) provides research, education and advocacy to people throughout the state of Maryland who are affected with diabetes or at risk for developing the disease. The mission of the ADA is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Lions serve to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and improve quality of life for those diagnosed.
Lions serve to prevent avoidable blindness and improve the quality of life for people who are blind and visually impaired. One way we do this is through the Lions Vision Research Foundation, Inc. (LVRF) which supports low vision research and rehabilitation to minimize the disabilities caused by low vision and blindness. The objectives of the LVRF are being met through its partnership with the Lions Vision Research and Rehabilitation Center (LVC), at the Wilmer Eye Institute of The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore. Find out more about the LVRF at www.lionsvision.org
This year’s Captain’s Choice Golf Tournament will be held on Friday, May 22 at the Oakmont Green Golf Course, 2290 Golfview Lane, Hampstead. Golfers will enjoy breakfast, green fees and golf cart, gift bags, team prizes, refreshments on the course, lunch and door prizes.
Our 46,000 clubs and 1.4 million members make Lions the world’s largest service club organization. Lions Clubs International extends our mission of service every day — in local communities in all corners of the globe. The needs are great and our services broad, including sight, health, hearing, hunger, youth, elderly, childhood cancer, the environment and disaster relief. Our members do whatever is needed to help their local communities. Find out more about Lions at www.lionsclubs.org or join22wlions@gmail.com.
Mark your calendars for the 19th Annual Lions Golf Tournament in Honor of Richard Liebno, which is scheduled for Friday, May 22, 2020 at Oakmont Green Golf Course in Hampstead. Contact tournament chairman Lion Jeremy Bair at 410-596-2917 or jebair2000@hotmail.com.
Susan Bonura is president of the South Carroll Lioness Lions Club and a past district governor of District 22W. She can be reached at 443-745-1281.
Each Monday, the Carroll County Times publishes a column from a local nonprofit, allowing them to share information about their organization and the issues facing it. To be considered, email cctnews@carrollcountytimes.com with the subject line “Nonprofit View.”