2005-2006 Officers 

The Woodridge Lions Club is part of a worldwide organization, Lions Club International.  We are also a member of Lions of Illinois Foundation.

Over the last few years our club has paid for numerous eye examinations and eye glasses for needy children and seniors in the Village of Woodridge .  Where possible we also sponsor the purchase of hearing aids for the needy.  Requests for assistance come from the Lions of Illinois Foundation, school nurses, and direct contact to our members.  

We are often called upon along with other district clubs to donate to larger projects.  For example we helped purchase an infant hearing screening machine to be used by Good Samaritan Hospital .  We also make an annual donation to the Oakbrook Lions Club to help with the cost of their “Somebody Special” program held each year at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook.

The Lions Club also collects and recycles used eyeglasses and hearing aids.  The Lions of Illinois Foundation recycles the hearing aids for the needy.  The eyeglasses are processed and sent to poverty areas in Central America and South America ( US law forbids using them in the United States ).  Once they arrive in Central America volunteer doctors and technicians fit the needy residents.  Some of these people have never had an eye examination before.

The Lions of Illinois Foundation provides the following services along with many more.

• Mobile Hearing Service Unit – travels around the area providing hearing examinations for adults and children ages 10-17.
• Camp Lions – Summer camping program for children between the ages of 8 and 17 who have severe vision or hearing impairments.
• Mobile Diabetic Eye Screening – This unit provides eye examinations to help diagnose Diabetic Retinopathy.

 The money to provide these services is raised through a variety of fundraisers such as

• Candy Day - held the second weekend in October where we stand on the corners and sell candy to passing motorists.
• Entertainment Books – we sell these books of coupons from September thru December.
• Sight and Sound Sweepstakes – we sell raffle tickets for the Lions of Illinois Foundation in the spring of each year.
• Dues – each member pays minimal dues to be a member.

Each year during the week before Easter along with Boy Scout troop 512 we stuff about 7000 Easter eggs with candy, and about 100 eggs with money.  Then on the Saturday before Easter we distribute the eggs into an open field and the annual Village of Woodridge Easter Egg hunt gets under way.  Always open to the public and at no cost to the families.