Eye Center PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

 2006-2007

It is a privilege and an honor to assume the position of the 53rd President of the Eye Research Center Inc. (Eye Center), and I want to thank everyone who had confidence in me for this great position.  Thanks to my home club, the Medford Lions Club, my family and, especially my husband, Dick, for your support and encouragement over the years.  It is with much enthusiasm and dedication that I follow in the footsteps of all the distinguished Lions who served in this position over the past 50 plus years. 

We recognized those clubs who have made donations of $5,000 and over to Eye Center and we thank them and applaud them for their efforts. 

However, let us not forget to thank and recognize the clubs who made donations to Eye Center and didn’t hit the $5,000 mark this year.  Let us not forget to thank and recognize the individual Lions, Lioness and Leo club members who have kept canisters in local businesses, collected the monies dropped in those canisters, and then made their contributions to Eye Center.  Every donation, whether large or small, contributed to our success and to the grand total of donations made to Eye Center during Lionistic year 2005 – 2006.

Our district officers from Y, A, N, K, and S proudly represent their districts and have the opportunity to personally thank all the club officers from the clubs represented at the installation banquet.  I want to thank the Lions, Lioness and Leo club members who couldn’t make the event, but whose dedication and tireless efforts contributed to our great success.

By educating and enlightening our newer members and re-educating and re-energizing our existing members, we can bring a new focus and new energy to the Eye Research Center. 

Over the years, through Eye Center, the Lions, Lioness, and Leo club members of Multiple District 33 have given grants to the eye research labs in Boston totaling over 20 million dollars.

These grants were used to help fund research labs that had no funding, and thus were able to do the risky studies that no one else would pay for; to hire the new research fellows they couldn’t afford, to buy equipment needed, to pay for research chemicals and the computer equipment needed to gather all the information.

Because of these funds and the research completed, the labs could then apply for federal grants and receive 10 times what we as Eye Center had given to them.  You,  the Lions, Lioness, and Leo’s, of MD33 should be proud because you have started lighting the way for others by helping those in need so that someday we can say that we, Lions, Lioness, and Leo’s of Multiple District 33, helped to eradicate and prevent blindness in the world.

I ask each Lion, Lioness, and Leo in all the clubs of Multiple District 33 to join with me and re-dedicate ourselves to being the Knights of the Blind in the Crusade Against Darkness by working that extra hour and raising that extra dollar that may some day give another person an extra day or maybe a full lifetime of improved vision or restored eyesight.

I know with all you help and re-dedication we will have a great year.

Yours in Lionism

Margaret 'Peg' Dunn

President of Eye Center 2006-2007