While our club devotes the great bulk of our resources to local needs, we also support our international organization.  Lions Clubs International is the largest service club organization in the world.  It has more than 46,000 clubs in 196 countries and geographical areas. Its mission is summed up succinctly in its Motto "We Serve".  Its vitality and size make it a major player on the world stage.  It is involved in a wide range of activities ranging from disaster relief to youth programs, but its primary focus is on providing help to the blind and visually impaired.

Eyeglass Recycling

Operation SightFirst

Most of us have encountered the Lions Club used eyeglass collections boxes that are often placed in opticians offices and other sites.  Lions, Leos, and other volunteers collect these eyeglasses for donation to Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers that are located throughout the world. These used eyeglasses are cleaned, repaired and classified by prescription. The eyeglasses are then distributed to those in need by Lion volunteers and other organizations hosting optical missions in developing countries.  Millions of pairs of these glasses are distributed each year, bringing the gift of sight to someone in a far away place. Several people in our community have participated in such missions.

SightFirst is a worldwide project aimed at fighting preventable and reversible blindness.  It was initially funded by Lions of the world who raised approximately 144 million dollars.  It is attempting to reach its goal of preventing and reversing blindness by building hospitals and clinics, training doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.  It is also distributing medicine and raising awareness of eye disease worldwide. SightFirst fights the major causes of blindness.  In third world countries these are cataracts, river blindness, and trachoma.  In more developed countries, like the United States, the major culprits are diabetic eye disease and glaucoma.

Disaster Relief

Youth Programs

Whenever there is a major disaster in our own country or around the world, Lions Clubs International gets involved in the relief efforts.  This is usually done through grants made by Lions Clubs International Foundation.  In the past year many such grants were made for disaster relief as a result of hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, Dennis, and others. It was similarly active after the earthquake disaster in Pakistan and India.  Often the funds are made available directly to Lions District Governors directly so that money can be dispersed within a few days of the event with minimum red tape.  This has occurred in our own Lions district within the past few years.

Lions Clubs maintains a strong commitment to programs for youth.  The establishment of service clubs for young people within schools and other institutions is one such program.  The Vass Lions Club sponsors such a "Leo Club" within the Union Pines High School.  International youth exchange is another  activity in which our club and other clubs in North Carolina have been very involved.  Not only do we participate the North Carolina Youth Exchange Camp, but we have also have provided area youths with the opportunity and the means to attend similar such youth camps in Europe.  A third youth program which has involved young people on every continent is the Peace Poster Contest.  Our local middle school, New Century, regularly participates in this competition.