Boone Area Lions hold Country Breakfast

All you can eat eggs, pancakes, bacon and country ham will be on the menu when the Boone Area Lions Club holds its annual Country Breakfast on Saturday, March 23, from 7 to 11 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the First Baptist Church of Boone on King Street.

All are invited to eat in or take out. Tickets are available at the door for $7 for adults and $4 for children younger than 6.

The Boone Area Lions will also be collecting used eyeglasses during the breakfast to be sent to people in need in other countries. Last year, Lions distributed more than 6 million glasses in developing nations. Local residents are urged to drop off used glasses, dark glasses, cell phones and hearing aids throughout the morning. Lions Club brooms will also be on sale.

The proceeds from the Country Breakfast are used to support community projects aiding the visually and hearing impaired children and adults of the High Country. Lions assist those in need of glasses, canes and hearing aids with the assistance of N.C. Lions Inc.

The club also assists local visually impaired residents by paying for the registration for summer camp at Camp Dogwood on Lake Norman. Local residents are also able to participate in the Visually Impaired Persons fishing tournament at Nag’s Head in October.

The Boone Area Lions will conduct a Blood Drive on May 7 and sponsor the Lions Vision Van on June 15. Lions’ flags are displayed on seven holidays in downtown Boone and on U.S. 421. The first flags will be flown on May 18 for Armed Forces Day.

Lions are recognized worldwide for their service to people who are blind and visually impaired. This service began when Helen Keller challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind, in the crusade against darkness,” during the 1925 Lions Clubs International convention, and the organization has followed that direction in the 87 years since.

Lions Clubs International is the largest international service organization in the world with 1.35 million members in 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical locations.

In addition, Lions make a strong commitment to young people through many youth programs. Lions also work to improve the environment, build homes for the disabled, support diabetes education, conduct hearing programs and, through their foundation, provide disaster relief around the work.

The Boone Area Lions Club meets for a lunch meeting at 12:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of every month at Sagebrush Restaurant in Boone. For more information about the Lions, or to attend a meeting, call president Roger Bodo at (828) 260-2019.

First Baptist Church is located at 375 W. King St. in downtown Boone.