Christmas Cheer

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Its that time of the year when children await the long christmas holidays. Everybody is talking of how they are going to spend their vacation. It is also important to spare a thought to the many disadvantaged , disabled children and children with special needs. The Lions Club of Lobatse decided to bring cheer into the lives of 30 such children and their dedicated bunch of teachers. It was impossible to think of doing anything without their assistance. So, the school which is an inclusive school brought the children in their school bus to Cumberland Hotel which is one of our landmarks in Lobatse. The ambience is very appealing as it has a good lawn area and big old trees in the compound. This was an ideal place to get these children and give them and their teachers a change from their normal routine of a classroom. I must also mention that Cumberland is an environmentally friendly hotel as they have installed a Biogas plant and they generate cooking gas from the kitchen waste and this provides them with enough gas for about four hours.The children arrived and members were busy pumping air into plastic balls for distribution. Our banners were put up to welcome them and we all sat under the shade of a big tree. The children entertained us with song and dance and this was amazing because even with the disability they suffered from whether Down's syndrome or Cerebral Palsy they were giving their best. This brought a thought into the minds of members and each one said a silent prayer to thank the Lord for the benefits they had. The song and dance continued with members joining in the fun and the party was a blast.A slice of Pizza, french fries, chicken drumsticks, Sandwiches, Meat balls and juice was provided to all our guests and the children were the ones who really enjoyed it all.All of this took nearly three hours and then we had to bid the children goodbye as it was time for them to go home. But not before the Head Teacher expressed her appreciation to the members of the club and one of the children ,the one suffering from Cerebral Palsy gave a vote of thanks. Now wasn't that the best expression of gratitude the club members could have received !!Finally the Club President now distributed all the gifts to the children and a certificate and a christmas present to the staff.That was a day to remember and appreciate and care for another human being less fortunate than ourselves. WE SERVE.

World Sight Day

October 8th 2009. World Sight Day.

The Lions Club of Lobatse annually celebrates this day(World Sight Day 08 October ) by conducting an activity related to reducing blindness. This year the members decided to visit cataract patients at the Eye Clinic of the Athlone Hospital. Lion Charles looks after the clinic and that makes it convenient to assist the clinic. The patients who had undergone Cataract Surgery were to have their bandages removed on that Thursday and this fitted in well with the club's intention of celebrating World Sight Day. Seven of the club members were present and there were eleven patients.
The Club President Lion Regina William spoke to the patients about us Lions and who we were and what we did. As the bandages were removed the President Lion Regina William assisted by other club members distributed a blanket and a packet with goodies to each of the patients.

WHAT A SIGHT IT WAS, BOTH TO THE PATIENTS WHO COULD NOW SEE AND TO US LIONS WHO COULD CELEBRATE WITH THE PATIENTS AND BE IN SIGHT.