I would like to thank the INTERACT Clubs at Fairfield Central High School and Richard Winn Academy who collected 110 pairs of used eye glasses during their recent campaign. Miss Lakisha Gladden of FCHS presented the glasses at the Dec. 7 meeting of our Lions Club. She was accompanied by Ms. Frankie O’Neal, sponsor for the FCHS Interact Club.

We take these used eye glasses to our headquarters in Columbia, where they are sorted and sent to Lions International for use all over the world. Local Lions depend on donations of used eye glasses as part of their international service programs. By recycling these glasses many people who cannot afford glasses will be served.

The Club expresses deep appreciation for the efforts at both high schools. These good deeds not only provided so many pairs of reusable eye glasses but also called attention to Lions sight preservation causes worldwide. We hope some of these young leaders will look seriously at Lions Clubs as they finish school and enter into the community.

Already this year the Winnsboro club has assisted 24 Fairfield County citizens with the costs of new eye glasses. We get referrals from the Department of Social Services and The Good Samaritan House and honor as many of these legitimate requests as our fund-raising affords.

The Winnsboro Lions Club’s major fund-raising activity is the annual pancake supper, which is scheduled for Monday evening, Feb. 7, 2011. Tickets will go on sale in the near future.

Thanks to strong local support from citizens and merchants, last year’s pancake supper netted some $1,500 for assisting with eye glasses and hearing aids for Fairfield’s most needy citizens.

Lion Rann Foster chairs the pancake supper project each year, and Lions Joe and Jimmy Stephenson are the chief pancake cooks. We look forward to excellent community support again this year, and we acknowledge with appreciation the Interact Clubs’ helping us meet our mission.

Paul Dove,

Winnsboro Lions Club President