On the fourth Tuesday in August, Lori Meske, center, was inducted into the Naperville Noon Lions Club by President Donna Kearney during their weekly lunch meeting with the assistance of Lion Agnes Tsiagbe, Membership Chair.
A Naperville resident, Meske is an optician who works in Bloomingdale.
The Naperville Noon Lions Club, chartered in 1948, is a member of the International Association of Lions Clubs. The international service organization, founded in 1917 in Chicago, is committed to its motto “We serve.”
As a bit of trivia, in 1925, Helen Keller, a deaf and blind humanitarian (1880-1968), challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” And ever since, members of Lions clubs have been focused on service projects that benefit the blind and visually impaired.
In addition, Lions Clubs International provides services for youth and work to improve the environment, build homes for the disabled, support diabetes education and conduct hearing programs. Their foundation provides disaster relief around the world.
Lions Clubs International has grown to be one of the most active service organizations with 1.4 million men and women in 46,000 clubs located in 192 countries and geographic areas.
“Lions are men and women who volunteer in the community to assist people who cannot afford the vision and hearing care they need,” noted Tsiagbe. “Our club also provides diabetic test strips for schools in Districts 203 and 204, along with raising money to support local nonprofit organizations.”
A partial listing of beneficiaries includes Beep Baseball, Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry, Ski for Sight, St. Baldrick’s, Little Friends, Midwest Eye Bank, Donka, Easter Seals of DuPage, Naperville Hear Us, and Camp Lions for sight and hearing impaired children.
Their major fundraising initiatives include Candy Day, Annual Summer Raffle, Naperville Ribfest Funnel Cakes, Lion Mints, 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.
To contact Noon Lions about membership, call (630) 364.3922 or visit www.napervillenoonlions.org. Prospective members are welcome at meetings held the first four Tuesdays of the month at Braconi’s Restaurant. Braconi’s is located at 796 Royal St. George Dr. in the Cress Creek Shopping Center, just off Ogden.
FYI: Registration is now in progress for the “Run Fast, Eat Later” Turkey Trot 5K. The race starts at 8AM, Thurs. Nov. 22, 2012, at Naperville Central High School, 440 W Aurora Ave, Naperville. Typically a sold-out event, a limit of 7,500 runners must be registered in advance at https://napervilleturkeytrot.com.
