The idea for a charity foundation was conceived in the
fall of 1976 by Lion John R. Langston of the Hampton Northampton Lions Club.
Unlike many other organizations, prior to 1976 the Lions found it difficult to
create sizeable projects of long range durability. As Activities Chairman on
the cabinet of District Governor Ernest F. Hardee, Lion John was charged with
the responsibility of creating new activities to involve more Lions.
After considerable deliberation a decision was made to
establish a nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors with fund
raising expertise and representative of all areas of the district. The
directors would serve staggered terms, one-third elected each third year, to
provide the continuity necessary for development of long-range commitments.
The district governor was to be a member of the board, not the controlling
force.
This proposal was presented to the district cabinet at
the 1976 District 24-D Fall Conference held at the Lake Wright Motel. Reaction
was favorable. Lion Richard A. Rilee, District Constitution and Bylaws
Chairman, a member of the Newport News Host Lions Club, with the assistance of
Lion Langston, was directed to prepare articles of incorporation and bylaws.
Preliminary documents were submitted at the February cabinet meeting.
At the first cabinet meeting in 1978, it was reported
that a majority of the clubs in the district favored the formation of a
charity fund corporation, whereupon District Governor Alexander N. Branch,
created a new committee called the District 24-D Charity Fund Committee and
appointed Lions John and Richard as co-chairmen.
In 1979-80, District Governor Roland R. Larmore, Jr.,
appointed Lion John to serve as chairman of the Charity Fund Committee for
another year. For a while, the committee flirted with the idea of sponsoring
Bob Hope in a benefit event, but eventually plans were dropped when the event
was thought too speculative.
Articles of Incorporation were submitted to the State
Corporation Commission and officers were elected for the new District 24-D
Lions Charity Fund. Those elected were Arthur Lazarow, PDG, President;
Alexander N. Branch, PDG, Vice President; Gerald E. Feidt, Secretary; and
Bernard Levitin, Treasurer.
At the fall conference, October 25, 1980, bylaws for
the new corporation were approved. The bylaws provided for a board of
directors that would include the current district governor and two elected
directors from each of the eight zones.
Meanwhile, a new opportunity arose. The Anheuser-Busch
Company located in Williamsburg, Virginia, decided to move the company
sponsored PGA Golf Tournament from California to its own course at Kingsmill.
Past District Governor Alexander N. Branch discussed Lions involvement in the
tournament with Kingsmill Properties General Manager Harry D. Knight.
Inasmuch as the Lions of 24-D already had the nucleus
of a charity fund in place, the district was allowed to provide volunteers for
the tournament and receive compensation for its services. The contribution
received from Anheuser-Busch in 1981 for the first tournament was $25,000. By
1995, it had increased to $55,000. ln addition, the district has been allowed
to serve as co-sponsor of the Curtis Strange Pro-Am Tournament, renamed
"The Orion Burkhardt Memorial Pro-Am," held prior to the
Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic. Distrct 24-D received $22,500 from the Pro-Am in
1995.
When the District 24-D Charity Fund was initially established, the
board consisted of one director from each of the eight zones; seven additional
directors elected at large, five of whom were elected each year; the current
district governor and one appointed representative, a total of seventeen.
Currently the board of seventeen Lions is composed of one director from each
of seven zones, eight at-large directors, the current district governor, and
his appointed cabinet representative. The president, vice president,
secretary, and treasurer are elected by the board.
The District 24-D Lions Charity Fund operates exclusively for
charitable, scientific, literary, and educational purposes, and assists Lions
clubs that have a financial need which can not be met by the clubs or zone.
Over the course of its 19 year history, the charity fund has supported many
worthwhile district projects
On April 2, 1984, the directors amended the articles of
incorporation to change the name of the corporation to the Lions Charity
Foundation of District 24-D, Incorporated. At the fall conference charity fund
membership meeting on September 29, 1984, the name change was approved, and
the amendment was officially executed November 30, 1984.
During the first four years of its operation, the charity
foundation received thirteen grant requests and distributed nearly $30,000.
Two grants totaling $12,000 were made to the Williamsburg Community Hospital.
The Triple C Lodge in Chesapeake received $6,000. Additional grants assisted
Lions clubs projects and worthy organizations supporting the sight and hearing
impaired.
In addition, the District 24-D Lions Charity Fund selected Norfolk
General Hospital for a joint venture to build a Lions sight and hearing
center. The cost of the project was $814,000 of which the Lions Charity Fund
of District 24-D, Incorporated, agreed to fund $407,000. This obligation was
paid in full prior to the due date, and the center was dedicated in early
1987. The center is currently known as the Lions Center for Sight and houses
the Lions Medical Eye Bank of Eastern Virginia, Inc.
In 1991, the articles of incorporation and bylaws were brought up
to date. A policy and procedures manual was developed to assist in the
administration of the foundation. These documents were distributed to the
secretary of each Lions club in District 24-D. To make the foundation more
responsive to the Lions clubs in the district, a grant request application was
developed and the medical grant application updated. The foundation has
continued its partnership with Anheuser-Busch and receives the majority of new
funding from the annual golf tournament at Kingsmill in Williamsburg.
The Edward M. "Moon" Kosjer Endowment for Indigent Sight
Care of approximately $60,000 was established with contributions from friends
and co-workers and receipts from the testimonial dinner given Lion Moon upon
retirement as executive director of the Lions Medical Eye Bank of Eastern
Virginia. This endowment was established to assist the indigent with eye care,
including eye exams and surgery. Recently, the Lions Medical Eye Bank of
Eastern Virginia contributed $50,000 to the Lions Charity Foundation and
$40,000 to the "Moon" Kosjer Endowment Fund. With the interest
earned on these funds, the Endowment Committee provides assistance to needy
individuals and Lions clubs for eye care.
In 1990, the foundation was asked to consider a major project at
Old Dominion University, the expansion of its Child Studies Center. In order
to receive state assistance, the university was required to raise $1,000,000
in private funding. The project was approved by the Lions clubs of District
24-D as a district project, and foundation funding was requested. When it was
assured that state funds would be available for the project, the District
Charity Foundation agreed to provide $300,000. An initial contribution of
$100,000 was made in January, 1993, with provisions for five annual payments
of $40,000 to follow.
The expanded Old Dominion Univeristy Child Studies Center will be
named the "Lions Child Study Center" and a large Lions emblem will
be mounted with the sign on the side of the building. The Lions of District
24-D are the largest private contributor to this project. The Lions Child
Study Center will reach many people in southeastern Virginia through the
training of special education teachers and speech pathologists who will travel
throughout Virginia and beyond to enrich the lives of children with learning
disabilities. The Lions Child Studies Center will also treat local children
with learning disabilities.
With the death of Orion Burkhardt, Executive Director of the
Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic, the Lions lost a good friend. The Charity
Foundation contributed $30,000 toward the construction of the "Orion
Burkhardt Memorial Patient Pavilion" at Williamsburg Hospital. Orion was
responsible for the expanded role Lions volunteers play in the golf classic
and the significant contribution received each year from the tournament.
A sampling of other major expenditures is as follows:
