Lions Clubs throughout our state often encounter needs that can not be served by a single club.  For this reason, the 400 plus Lions Clubs of our state  joined together to form a Council of District Governors and the North Carolina Lions Foundation.  This enables clubs like ours to have access to resources on a scale that would not otherwise be possible.  A number of significant projects have resulted from this cooperation.

Camp Dogwood

Youth Exchange Camp

Camp Dogwood is a wonderful recreational facility for the blind and visually impaired. It is located about 50 miles north of Charlotte on the shore of Lake Norman. The camp operates for 12 weeks each summer. Legally blind, young and old, are able to spend a week at this camp at no cost. Here they can enjoy the type of recreational experience that is usually available only to sighted people.  They can ride horses, take shopping tips, fish, swim, go on boat rides, tube, and even water ski.  What they appreciate most, however, is the chance to get away from what is normally a very restricted environment into a setting where they are able to socialize with others afflicted with the same handicap.

One of the major goals of  Lions Clubs International is to foster international understanding and cooperation through youth exchange.  North Carolina Lions have been significant participants in this program through their annual North Carolina Lions Youth Exchange Camp.  Each year twelve youths from around the world, ages 17-21, spend a month in North Carolina.  For the first two weeks they are hosted individually by a Lions club member family.  For the final two weeks they come together as a group and travel around the state.  At each stop they are hosted by  Lions clubs who guide them on cultural excursions.  The Vass club has hosted the group several times, and individual members of our club have hosted individual visitors on multiple occasions.

Matching Funds and Hearing Aid Programs

Visually Impaired Fishing Tournament

Our Club gets frequent requests for help from local residents who can not afford eye exams or glasses. If the person has no insurance  or other means of paying for treatment, the Vass Lions Club will pay for an exam and glasses as needed.  Our ability to provide this service is enhanced enormously by a North Carolina Lions Foundation (NCLF) program that matches our expenditure dollar for dollar.  Upon special request they will often match requests that involve more expensive treatments.  The foundation provides help in a similar fashion by providing "behind the ear" hearing aids to persons who have a need but can not otherwise afford them.

A number of years ago, the Lions Clubs in the area of Nags Head began a venture called the Visually Impaired (VIP) Fishing Tournament.  They started by inviting a few local blind and visually impaired individuals to participate in a totally free supervised fishing outing.  Over the years this outing has grown to a three day event in which about 600 legally blind from all over the state participate.  The NCLF and numerous individual clubs, including our own, now donate to this very special effort.  Local motels provide rooms to the tournament at a huge discount, piers donate their use, and tour boats haul participants for gas money.  The Lions of North Carolina volunteer their time and pay for everything that is not otherwise donated.