By Roger Allen
The Montezuma Lions Club has made several donations to local and state and national causes in February and March, with proceeds from projects of the past year, such as the summer chicken barbecue, the October pancake breakfast and the Toy and Craft Show held the last Saturday in January.
Most recently the Lions donated $500 to the Montezuma Food Pantry, which the club has done annually for several years.
A local child’s damaged eyeglasses were recently repaired, compliments of the Lions.
In February the Lions made its annual donations of $1,400 to the Iowa Lions Foundation (ILF) and $1,000 to the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF).
The Iowa foundation supports such causes as the Iowa Lions Eye Bank, the Iowa Cochlear Implant Center, Iowa KidSight, the Iowa School for the Deaf and the Iowa Lions Hearing Aid Bank.
The International foundation is “the Red Cross” of Lionism, providing immediate aid after catastrophic events around the world and close to home. Many funds have come to Iowa after floods and tornadoes. LCIF funds are now helping Ukrainian refugees.
Other recent donations by Montezuma Lions include $200 to Camp Hertko Hollow, a camp for children with diabetes; $200 to Leader Dogs for the Blind; and $100 for the Lions-sponsored annual week of camp at Camp Courageous.
The club has several members who participate in the transporting of cornea eye tissue to the Eye Bank in Coralville.
The club participated in the 2022 Montezuma Expo and Lions are delivering Meals on Wheels the month of March.