The title includes the word “international,” but Mississippi Lions clubs’ programs and state residents have benefitted over the years from Lions Club International Foundation grants, a foundation representative told McComb Lions Tuesday.
“Many people are reluctant to give to the foundation because they believe the money goes outside the country,” said foundation representative Delores Tanner.
“But we help people in the U.S. — the foundation exists to help Lions and people in need,” she said.
Tanner said the foundation, the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International, provides money to address global problems such as blindness and hearing loss, and responds to major disasters.
She said the foundation recently gave five grants to Lions clubs in Mississippi, and from 1989 to 2008, Mississippi received more than $2 million in foundation grants, she said. Mississippi Lions gave $1.2 million to the foundation during the same period.
Tanner, who lives in Diamondhead, said the Lions Club International Foundation assisted in Mississippi’s recovery after Hurricane Katrina.
She said the foundation provided $150,000 to the Mississippi Lions to help the state organization meet its budget, and $10,000 for a generator to continue providing electrical power to protect donor corneas stored at the Lions Eye Bank. The foundation also provided funds to help rebuild medical facilities and schools on the Gulf Coast.
According to its Web site, the Lions foundation provided more than $379,000 to help with needs on the Coast.
“All of us are members of Lions Club International,” Tanner said. “And they (the foundation) are there to help us when we need it. And when other people need help, they will get it.”
Tanner said foundation representatives are working with earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile.
“When people are in need, you can’t just walk away,” she said. “We will be there — in Haiti and Chile — until the end.”
Tanner called the Lions a wonderful, caring organization.
“They care for you, they help you and they also worry about you,” she said.
