The Riverside Township Lions Club has been serving the community and the world with compassion and generosity.
The club is a local chapter of Lions International, a global network of more than 1.4 million men and women in over 180 countries who are dedicated to serving those in need.
The Riverside chapter, which has 35 members, has been active in the community since 1948, providing various forms of assistance and support to people in need.
Eric Sundstrom, owner of Sundstrom Insurance Agency, has been a member for over 12 years and was appointed president of the local Lions Club in August.
He said he enjoys doing volunteer work with the organization, but the Lions Club also brings a feeling of comradery to its members.
“It’s also a social organization too, comradery sitting around the table, talking about current events and what’s going on in our village,” Sundstrom said. “We get to talk to other people; we find out who might be in need of something. For instance, the last time there was one of those tornadoes in downstate Illinois, we donated like $1,000.”
Riverside’s Lions Club holds two annual fundraisers. In the fall it is a candy day fundraiser and in the spring there is a chicken dinner fundraiser.
One of the club’s focus areas is helping the blind and visually impaired, a cause that Lions International is widely recognized for.
The club’s signature event, Spectacle Sunday, is a day when parishioners of local churches are encouraged to donate their old or unused eyeglasses to the club.
After receiving the glasses, members sort, clean, label and send them to the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center, where they are prepared for shipment to developing countries.
Over 200 pairs of eyeglasses were recently donated by parishioners of local churches.
The participating churches were St. Paul VI parish campuses, St. Mary in Riverside and Mater Christi in North Riverside; Riverside Presbyterian Church; and St. Joseph Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Chicago.
The club used to organize the event annually but suspended it during the pandemic.
Last month’s Spectacle Sunday was the first since 2018.
The club collects and recycles eyeglasses, contact lenses and sunglasses and distributes them to children and adults in developing countries who lack access to eye care.
Lions Club also supports the Lions of Illinois Foundation, which provides vision and hearing screenings, eye exams, eyeglasses and other services to low-income residents of Illinois.
However, the club’s service extends beyond vision and hearing issues. Lions Club helps those who are physically or mentally disabled, people with developmental issues, children who are autistic and seniors who are frail or have special needs.
The club also collects printer cartridges, hearing aids and cellphones, which are either recycled or donated to various organizations.
Sundstrom said the club is looking for new and younger members and plans to do more outreach work in 2024.