Service projects mark Lions Golden Jubilee

Galaxy of events by 306b2:

Bevereley JANSZ

COMMEMORATING the Golden (50th) Jubilee of Service in Sri Lanka Lions International, District 306B2 under the dynamic leadership of District Governor Lion Mahesh Pasqual MJF conducted a series of projects covering his district, from Anuradapura to Colombo.

Lion Pasqual started by invoking the blessings of the Viharadhipathi and also the Sri Mahabodhiya in Anuradhapura, and distributed spectacles to school children at the Anuradhapura Sri Mahabodhi premises.

A bicycle was donated to a girl who had lost her leg due to an attack by an elephant. She walks more than two km a day to get to her school with the artificial leg she is now using. This bicycle will definitely make life easy for her.

The mega project for the day was the multi-service project at Anuradhapura Municipality Complex conducted by the District Governor, Lion Pasqual himself with the Lions Club of Anuradhapura and other clubs in the area.

More than 5,000 patients were screened for eye ailments and other general conditions such as diabetic and blood pressure, etc. Over 25 doctors were on duty at this project.

Two thousand five hundred spectacles were distributed. Under the patronage of the Chief Minister Berty Pramalal Dissanayake dry rations were distributed and cows were donated to the less fortunate families to make a living.

A blood donation campaign and a dental clinic were also held. This was an all-in-one health solution to the villagers of Anuradhapura who flocked in numbers to seek meical assistance.

A modern kitchen was constructed and opened by the District Governor in Anuradhapura with German funds for a school in Anuradhapura.

A road safety programme was organised with the help of the Sri Lanka Police to educate students on traffic control and safety methods. Traffic warden jackets were presented by the District Governor to the schools in Anuradhapura.

A project to issue identity cards were conducted in Mihintale with the help of the Divisional Secretariat and also the Department for Registration of Persons. Three hundred and fifty people were registered and documents were processed for the issue of ID cards.

A programme with the Sahana Association for the disabled were conducted. Donations such as mosquito nets, bed linen, toys and a typewriter was donated to visually handicapped person, organised by the Anuradhapura Lions Club. Toys were donated by the District Governors of Lions Club of Colombo Somerset.

The events for October 3, concluded with a grand musical show sponsored by the National Lotteries Board. A motorcade consisting of several floats turned out by the different regions displaying the projects conducted by Lions were displayed from Anuradhapura to Ambepussa.

At Thalawa, Epawala city and Kekirawa Clubs organised a programme to distribute spectacles.

At Thabuttegama, a new hospital ward was constructed and opened at the Thambuttegama Hospital. School and library books too were presented at Thabuttegama to a remote school by the Lions Club of Kelani Valley. The Lions Club of Metro presented library books at Thambuttegama to another school.

At Balalla Lions Club of Grandpass, Grand City and Colombo City presented spectacles and musical instruments to a school. Six cows were donated to Six families to make a living with dairy farming.

At Padeniya Lions Club of Dummalasuriya donated spectacles and wheels chairs to the disabled persons in the area.

At Wariyapola Lions Club of Kuliyapitiya donated wheel-chairs.

At the Kurunegala Sports Complex, Lions Club of Kurunegala and Annite Circle conducted several projects. Among them were donation of coconut plants, a calf, spectacles and wheel-chairs. A cheque for Rs. 25,000 was present by the Annite Club. The Narammala Club presented scholarships to children.

The Polgahawela Club presented a wheel-chair to a less fortunate lady in Polgahawela.

At Allawwa, Giriulla Lions Club donated a wheel chair and a computer printer to a school in Alawwa. The final programme on October 4, was at Ambepussa, Galigamuwa where Lions Club of Galigamuwa presented scholarships and school books to a girls school in Ambepussa.

The highlight of the programme was how the various Lions Clubs in different areas joined the district Governor on his way from Anuradhapura to Ambepussa conducting projects. On October 5, The Lions proceeded from Ambepussa to Colombo, taking part in more service projects.

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Fifty years of Lionism in Sri Lanka

THE Lions Clubs of Sri Lanka will be celebrating its treasured 50 years of lionism in Sri Lanka today. To mark this grand and glorious occasion there will be several programmes including a massive procession (pada yatra) starting from Vihara Maha Devi park (near the Colombo Municipal Council) in which more than 5,000 members of the lions clubs from all the six districts will participate.

While we are proudly on the threshold of our 50th year, our heads are held high with pride that a son of Sri Lanka Lion Mahendra Amarasuriya has been elected as the international president to head the Lions movement for the Lionistic year 2007/2008.

In fact, Lions District 304 of South India together with the service minded Zain Markar and Onally Gulam Hussein started the first ever Lions Club in Sri Lanka, then Ceylon on 15th April 1958 which was named the Lions Club of Colombo, later to be designated as the Lions Club of Colombo host.

Its charter president was Colonel C. P. Jayawardana and the then International Director Lion Shaffek Munsur made the charter presentation. It was only five years later in July 1963 that the Lions Club of South was extended.

In 1966 when the number of Lions Clubs in the country had grown to six, the international granted provisional district status. Consequent to that Lion Sachithananda was elected as the first Governor of the Provincial District in Sri Lanka.

Within the next few years Lionism grew rapidly in the country and with the formation of 30 Lions Clubs the international association recognised Sri Lanka as a fully-fledged District 306.

Lionism continued to grow apace and clubs were formed in both urban and rural areas throughout the country. Language was no barrier Sinhala and Tamil speaking clubs came into existence.

Further, in this instance we should remember with gratitude our founder the revered Melvin Jones, those pioneering Lions of District 304 of South India for giving us the joy and satisfaction to be a member for the world’s largest service organisation.

Indeed, what appears to be a fairy tale, but true, yet almost unbelievable, a Lion from this tiny island reached the pinnacle of the international Lions movement when on the 6th of July, our own Lion, Lion Mahendra Amarasuriya was inducted as the President of the Lions Clubs International at a glittering ceremony in Chicago, USA.

What a proud moment it was not only for Lions but to all Sri Lankans as a nation, where one of our own Lions was elected to give leadership to the world’s largest service organisation spread over 203 countries with a membership of over 1.3 million. In fact, it is heartening to note, though small in size, Sri Lanka has a membership of over 11,500 Lions in all six districts and ranks 19th among the 203 member countries.

Further Lion Mahendra Amarasuriya hails from a family of philanthropists, his father, the late Thomas Amarasuriya played a key role in the Buddhist revival, contributed towards the education in the country by building schools. He was also one time president of the Senate.

Lion Mahendra is a product of Royal College, Colombo and a science graduate from the University of Ceylon. Presently he is the chairman of the Commercial Bank of Ceylon rated as the best bank in Sri Lanka.

In all illustrious career spanning over 40 years he has held top positions such as Deputy Chairman of the Hayleys Group, Chairman of the United Motors Ltd, International Chamber of Commerce, Employers Federation of Ceylon, Employees Trust Fund and also is a board member of many other companies.

In 1967, the Lions Club of Galle the first club in the south was formed and Mahendra Amarasuriya joined as a Charter member. In the year 1978/1979 District 306A elected him as their governor. He was elected as an International Director in 1991.

Lion S. Raghavan MJF (JP) who has been elected as District Governor for the year 2007/2008 joined the Lions movement in the year 1993 as a charter member of the Lions Club of Inner Colombo and served continuously in the board of directors of the club. He became the Treasurer of the club in the second year and then the president in the year 1998/1999 (District 306 B1) and won the president excellence award.

He was appointed as the district chairperson leadership development in the subsequent year. Being a graduate from the leadership institute of the Lions International in the year 1997, he won the governor’s outstanding services recognition award. He served as the zone chairperson in the year 2000/2001 and received the governor’s recognition award.

In the year 2001/2002, he was again selected as the leadership chairperson and won the outstanding district chairperson award. During this year, he conducted a very successful residential seminar on leadership, which was very much appreciated by all the participants.

Throughout his Lionistic career while serving in the district cabinet he continuously served in various steering committees.

In the year 2002 he served as the co-chairperson of the school for the cabinet officers elect and club officers elect and was recognised by the governor in office and past district governor who served as the chairperson of the school.

Again in 2004 he served as the coordinator for the school and was recognised by the P.I.D. Lion Chuck Wijenathan who was the chairperson. In 2002-2003 he served as the region chairperson.

He was chosen as the Cabinet Treasurer in 2004/2005 in the Cabinet of our District Governor Lion Sivananthan and won Governor’s recognition award and received International President’s appreciation certificate for outstanding services. From 2003 he served in the MERL Committee.

Lion Raghavan is a science graduate from the University of Peradeniya and presently holds a senior position in the management of Commercial Bank of Ceylon Ltd as Head of Exports.

He has followed a diploma course in higher management in the Ashridge Management College in UK and has attended various seminars and forum held in many countries.

He is also the recipient of the visionary leadership certificate of Lions International and is a Melvin Jones Fellow.

Further, he is a Justice of the Peace (all island) and is the Chairman of Lions Millennium School for children with special needs. He is a council member of the International Chamber of Commerce, President of the OBA and a member of the board of trust of the OBA, Jaffna Hindu College and the Secretary of the Thiru Ketheeswaram Temple Restoration Society.

Lion Raghavan is married to Lion Lady Ranjini and they are blessed with a daughter Saranya who is an honours graduate in accounting, finance and management from the University of Nottingham and a son who is an Advanced Level student at Stafford International.

In fact, as a District Governor Lion Raghavan’s mission is to successfully meet the challenges and achieve excellence in service by way of fostering goodwill and better understanding among existing Lion members, bringing in new quality members to meet the growing demands for service, maintaining excellence is administration and accountability at all levels, and enhancing the productivity by encouraging the use of modern technology in our management systems.

Furthermore, the district governor’s five point programme for the year 2007/2008 are sight conservation, diabetes awareness and diabetic screening, youth welfare and youth development, leadership development and maintenance of good health of the clubs.

The world sight day will be celebrated in Sri Lanka this month and 20,000 persons will be screened for this purpose and 2,000 cataract surgeries will be done. In fact, this will be one of the signature projects for this year to mark ‘World Sight Day’.

Indeed, leadership development is Lion Raghavan’s pet area. He is of the view that leadership development program within clubs would immensely help ‘Membership Growth Program’.

- Kalabhooshanam Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar

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Lions District 306 A1 observes Annual World Sight Day

ELABORATE arrangements have been made under the guidance of the District Governor Lion Lester Aponso ably supported by the Project Chairman Lion Premanath De Zoysa, to observe the World Sight Day which commenced on October 4.

A motorcade specially arranged for the occasion would be leaving Kataragama Town with 5000 brand new spectacles calibrated to be donated to selected needy persons whose sight have been tested and screened. 4th night spent in Galle and the motorcade left the next morning to Panadura.

The motorcade will leave Panadura today for Colombo where the participants and other Lions of the District would join to celebrate the Golden Jubilee year of Lionism in Sri Lanka.

Many programmes have been planned to celebrate this great occasion which many feel is a life time privilege. The first Sri Lankan International President Lion Mahendra Amarasuriya would grace this great occasion.

The spectacles would be distributed to the recipients through the local Lions Clubs of the areas enroute to Colombo at selected points in the principal towns from Kataragama to Colombo.

The Project Chairman Lion Premanath De Zoysa stated that, the Lions have an obligation in educating the people in getting together for a collective effort to address and control preventable blindness.

An estimated 180 million people world wide are visually disabled out of which 40 to 45 million are blind. Due to growing population and aging, numbers are expected to double by the year 2020 making a colossal human tragedy. Eighty percent of all cases of blindness can be prevented or treated.

In taking this message to the many that live in Colombo, an awareness parade has been organized for the 7th October morning starting from Francis Place Wellawatte to the Majestic City Bambalapitiya where over 1000 Lions of the District representing their respective Lions Clubs would participate.

World sight day is an annual event focusing on the problems of Global blindness. Every five seconds one person in the world goes blind and a child goes blind every minute. The economic burden of global blindness is estimated at US$ 25 billion.

The causes of avoidable blindness are frequently associated with poverty and lack of basic needs and eye care services.

Avoidable blindness is more common in the poorest of the poor. By working together, everyone can make a major contribution to save the future of millions of women, men and children already visually handicapped or at risk.

District Governor Lion Lester Aponso and Project Chairman Lion Premanath De Zoysa have taken great pains to provide an opportunity to become more aware of preventable blindness with the goal of making vision a public health priority.