The local Lions Club chapter launched in 1957 as the first in northwest Harris County. Franco said the chapter has considered Cy-Fair ISD’s boundaries its geographic service area ever since.
Franco said several members of the local branch have gone on to hold top leadership positions in Lions Club International, which has more than 48,000 clubs worldwide. Improving the lives of the visually impaired and preventing avoidable blindness are two of the major causes Lions Club International supports.
The Cy-Fair chapter works with optometrists and collects hundreds of pairs of eyeglasses every month to help individuals who cannot afford them in addition to providing vision screenings for local preschoolers every year.
“The schools do the school-age kids, but the preschoolers fall through the cracks,” she said. “We go into day cares, health fairs, farmers markets, and we screen children. If they do need further eye care, we give them that information.”
Other initiatives include sending physically handicapped children to summer camp, donating 500 meals for children quarterly, distributing 3,000 bags of school supplies to students and partnering with Wreaths Across America.
Most of the funding for these projects comes from concessions sold at baseball games at Cy-Fair Lions Park, but due to COVID-19, Franco said that income has decreased significantly this year.
“We had no spring season and a very limited summer season. We’re just getting started again, so all of these great works that we want to do—we’re going to be hard pressed,” she said.
Franco said the Houston Cy-Fair Lions Club is always looking to add members, and the $35 joining fee has been waived through Dec. 31. The organization meets every second and fourth Tuesday.
