Club Projects

Club Projects

Vision, Hearing, & Diabetes


Health screening events are scheduled throughout the year for Infants, Children, Adults, and Seniors. St. Petersburg Lions are available to conduct screenings at your community centers, churches, schools, or other special events. Screenings are fast, painless and free!


Additional volunteers are always welcome to assist us! Please contact the Sight Center at (727) 893-7152 or President Brian at (920) 253-8233 for more information.



Diabetes Screenings at the Sunshine Center for Seniors

In July 2015, the St. Petersburg Lions Club began to offer monthly screenings for diabetes at the Sunshine Center. The screenings are scheduled once a month from 9:00 am to 11:00 am: date to be announced in the Sunshine Newsletter.


All screenings are conducted free of charge. Clients are asked to fast for at least 1 hour prior to the exam. The Sunshine Center is a nationally accredited multi-service center where seniors gather for support, socialization, fitness and/or other services provided for older people. The Center also houses the Lions’ Sight Clinic, where manager Antoinette Instone discusses the Lions’ financial assistance program with applicants and will guide the clients in completing the necessary forms. Reading glasses and sun glasses are also available, for Sunshine Center clients, for a $2.00 donation.



Partnering with the Pinellas County: Project Homeless Connect

Project Homeless Connect, an offshoot of a national effort, is designed to provide dignified assistance in a one-stop setting. Volunteers assist at least 1,200 people, among them families and veterans. First organized locally by the city of St. Petersburg and the Homeless Coalition in 2007, the event has become a collaboration of groups that include the city, Pinellas County Health and Human Services, the Homeless Coalition and the Salvation Army. Lions can perform sight screenings, offer financial assistance to those needing professional eye care services, and offer free reading glasses.


Dining In the Dark


In 2015, the St. Pete Lions hosted their first Dining in the Dark, an elegant affair with a guest speaker on nutrition and its relevance to healthy vision. Proceeds from this event benefit the St. Petersburg Lions Club Sight Program. The dinner is open to the public! The next event is scheduled for spring 2025. Stay tuned for details.



White Cane Day – October 15th


The sighted and visually impaired (blind) will walk together to heighten public awareness to yield to blind pedestrians. This event is held every year at the Lions Club beach house in Treasure Island on the Sunday closets to or on October 15th. In 1930, Lion George A. Bonham, President of the Peoria Lions Club (Illinois) introduced the idea of using the white cane with a red band as a means of assisting the blind in independent mobility. The Peoria Lions approved the idea, white canes were made and distributed, and the Peoria City Council adopted an ordinance giving the bearers the right-of-way to cross the street. News of the club’s activity spread quickly to other Lions clubs throughout the United States, and their visually handicapped friends experimented with the white canes. Overwhelming acceptance of the white cane idea by the blind and sighted alike quickly gave cane users a unique method of identifying their special need for travel consideration among their sighted counterparts.


Youth & Community

 

In addition to health screenings, the Lions support the greater St. Petersburg community in a variety of ways. Please contact us if you would like to suggest a service project or if you would like to help the Lions at one of these events.

 

Food Service for the Homeless

Lions serve dinner at St. Vincent de Paul’s Food Service Center several times a year and have purchased meals for a Saturday lunch serving at least once each quarter.

 

Welcome Gift Baskets for Brookwood Center for Girls

In honor of Melvin Jones, Founder of the Lions, St. Petersburg Lions Club makes and donates 50 gift baskets with 10 personal care items for girls entering the Brookwood Center.

 

Treats You Can Trust

Lions share goodies with little goblins along the Treat Trail at England Brothers Park in Pinellas Park.

 

Breakfast with Santa

Feast on a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausages, potatoes and donuts before joining the chaos of crafts, music, dancing, and traditional pictures with Santa. Breakfast and entertainment is free to the public with children!

 

Food Collection for the Food Bank

During several events throughout the year, the Lions will hold special collections for canned and boxed foods for donation to the St. Petersburg Free Clinic.

 

Peace Poster Contest


The Peace Poster Contest is an annual international event for children ages 11 to 14 that culminates in a grand prize trip to the United Nations. Local school and youth programs are given the opportunity to participate in the art contest that follows a theme for world peace. 

 

5000 Role Models

The St. Petersburg Lions contribute to this special program of St. Pete’s Promise, sponsored by the Pinellas Education Foundation to boost self-image, social skills and academic performance. This is a mentoring program for young boys at Maximo Elementary School. 

 

Camp Redbird


The St. Petersburg Lions sponsor four children with special needs to the therapeutic recreation summer camp offered by the St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department.

 

Challenger Baseball


For many years, the St. Petersburg Lions have sponsored a team in the Challenger Baseball League. This special league accommodates children of all ages with special needs. The Lions host the annual trophy picnic in May and supply all the hot dogs and hamburgers for free!

 

VetDogs for Heroes


This annual fundraiser features a silent auction, entertainment, and food at the Lions Club on beautiful Sunset Beach. The proceeds are donated to America’s VetDogs, a program of the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, who provide guide dogs for veterans who are blind, service dogs for those with other disabilities, combat operational stress control dogs for specialized placement, and physical or occupational therapy assistance dogs to VA hospitals for wounded soldiers. The Club’s donation is designated to assist a local service person in need of canine.

 

Leo Clubs


Leo Clubs are active at St. Petersburg High School and Shorecrest Preparatory School, with each Club having about 30 active members. 

 

Sunset Beach Clean-Up


A community action team focused on the environment and safety. Once a month, the team cleans the waterfront from the Treasure Island southward to Sunset Beach point. 

 

Sydney’s Angels


The Lions have hosted students, families and staff from Sydney’s Angels Academy at the Lions’ beach house for a fun day of activities and lunch. Sydney’s School for Autism combines regular education with therapy and individualized services that help the students thrive.

 

Book Drive


The St. Petersburg Lions held a special book drive for new books appropriate for pre-k and elementary age children for donation to All Children’s Hospital. Approximately 75 books were donated!

 


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