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Not for Profit: Frederiksted Lions Club

March 29, 2009 — Because of the Frederiksted Lions Club, homeless women and children who seek shelter at Bethlehem House can rest a little better. Many of their basic needs are taken care of through the donations and the hard work of the 19 Lions, whose motto is "We Serve."
"Whatever Ivy Martinez, director at Bethlehem House, asks of the club, we try to do," says William Howell Jr., president of the Frederiksted Lions Club. Howell says Bethlehem House currently needs new mattresses, and the Lions are trying to meet that need. They donate new bed linens, restock its pantry, purchase school supplies and paint and clean up the facilities.
Internationally the Lions are known for fighting blindness around the world. Locally the Lions help protect vision by providing eye exams to the needy — including those staying at Bethlehem House.
"Often Sterling Optical and Pearle Vision help by waiving the exam fees for the shelter," Howell says.
The men and women of the Frederiksted Lions help to provide vision screenings in schools, health fairs and at the St. Croix Agricultural and Food Fair. The Lions assist needy schoolchildren with the purchase of eyeglasses. They have collection boxes for recycling used eyeglasses at Villa Morales restaurant. Last November they collected 100 pairs of used eyeglasses in a collection drive at Kmart West.
"The glasses are refurbished and sent to needy countries around the world," Howell says.
For more than 20 years the club has given food baskets to the needy at Thanksgiving, working with local churches to find those who have fallen through the cracks. They also give to My Brothers Table in Frederiksted for its annual Thanksgiving dinner.
Every year they throw a Christmas party for around 70 residents of Sunny Isle Housing.
"It's a beautiful affair with music by Big Band of St. Croix and food made by club members Angie Morales and Julio Torres of Villa Morales," Howell says. Students in Esteridge Phaire's vocational classes from Central High School give gifts to the residents.
For the past 13 years the club has given a $1,000 Dorothy Hicks Scholarship to high school seniors who have willingly and openly given to the community while maintaining high academic standards.
Hicks was a Lions Club member and an educator for more than 30 years whose first love was teaching.
"Some years we have been able to give two scholarships and laptop computers, too," Howell says. Fundraising is done with bake sales and raffles, or they "dig into their own pockets."
They also get students involved in their annual Agriculture and Food Fair Track and Field Meet. And they are active themselves with a Lion team participating and donating to the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life.
They are part of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), which includes voluntary agencies that can play a vital role in disaster recovery.
"We kicked in with help after Hurricane Omar," Howell says.
The club not only helps people, but it helps the environment,too. Once a month club members do things such as beach cleanups or clean a section of Queen Mary Highway in the Villa Morales neighborhood.
The club, chartered in June 1984, is District 51-E affiliated with Puerto Rico. It is one of three clubs on St. Croix. The first club on the island, called the St. Croix Club, began in 1965. The Twin City Club followed.
"We are always actively recruiting new members and encourage any one service minded to join the club," Howell says. "We encourage potential new members to attend three meetings to see if Lions is what they want."
The Lions meet for one hour the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at Villa Morales.
"The meeting is strictly business, and if we go over I get fined," Howell says.
Membership is $80 for a year. Call 772-1274 or 778-6351 for more information.
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