The membership of the Lions Club of Dominica is celebrating 55 years of community service to the island of Dominica on March 15, 2023 under the theme “A Diamond of Service in the Making”.
The Club, chartered on March 15, 1968 by Barbados Lions Club under the leadership of persons such as Stanley Fadelle, Joseph Liburd, among others, have been actively involved in the fight to alleviate the plight faced by the less fortunate on the island through a number of undertakings such as donation of food items, clothing, medical supplies etc. The Club is twinned with the Lions Club of Guadeloupe Doyen.
When one thinks of the Lions Club of Dominica, one of the first things that should come to mind is the Workshop for the Blind, now referred to as Abilities Unlimited. Through funding from Lions Clubs International and a lease agreement with the then Government of the Dominica, the Club was able to secure the property and construct the building which was then handed over to the Workshop. The Club was also instrumental in fencing the property housing Operation Youth quake, and building a bus shelter in the Tarish Pit Area (Castle Bruce/Laplaine Junction), which was then used primarily by students commuting those areas. In 2003 the Club was bestowed with the Services Medal of Honour during the islands Independence Celebrations, the only such organization to have received such an Accolade.
The Club is celebrating its 55th Anniversary under the auspices of Lions Club International. The Association, the largest service association in the world with membership of over 1.4 million members in 210 countries was founded by Melvin Jones in June 1917.
The Club is looking forward to continued service on the island. Lions clubs are a group of men and women who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs. There is currently a membership of 27 Lions and among them four Melvin Jones Fellows, which is the highest award that can be bestowed upon a member of the Club. The Club falls within Zone 2C Chairperson inclusive of Clubs in Antigua, St. Kitts, Montserrat and Dominica; Region 2 – Club in the US and BVI, Dutch Islands of St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustacius; Sub-District 60B – English speaking islands from Jamaica and the Cayman Islands down to Grenada and Multiple District 60 to include Trinidad, Guyana and Suriname.
The Club meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at the Workshop for the Blind on Federation Drive, Goodwill.
The President and members thank the citizens of Dominica as well as its Regional and International friends, for their support and generosity as we continue to uphold our motto “WE SERVE” for 55 more years and beyond.
