In early December, the Lions’ Tree of Love will be decorated with red and white lights. Located near the intersection of Routes 3 and 20, in front of the Wilderness Pharmacy, the tree will brighten your holiday, but more importantly, it is a way to remember those loved ones who have made a big difference in our lives.

We all have someone to remember over the holidays season. A contribution of $5 per light/person will mean an individual light will be dedicated to remembering that special person or persons. Indicate for whom the contribution is made and color of light. Red lights signify the person is living and the white lights signify the deceased friends.

At the lighting of the tree, these friends will be acknowledged with a reading of their names, which will also be included in a program which will be handed out at the dedication ceremony on December 21st at 4:30. The money received from the Tree of Love will provide help for the needy of LOW and Northern Orange County.

Every one is invited to attend. The Girl Scouts will serve hot chocolate again this year. The Tree of Love goal this year is to cover it with more red and white lights and create a festive dedication glow larger than ever before.  Not only will you be honoring those remembered and not forgotten, but your contributions will be especially meaningful to those in need.

Please mail donations to: LOW Lions Club, PO. BOX 605, Locust Grove VA. 22508

This fall the Lake of the Woods Lions Club Sight Committee screened 1,140 students throughout Orange County. Many of the students were referred to eye doctors and hearing specialists for further examinations and treatment.

Among those screened were 128 students in the Orange County Head Start program; 338 kindergarten students at Locust Grove, Gordon-Barbour, Orange and Unionville elementary schools; 313 third graders at Locust Grove, Lightfoot and Orange elementary schools; and 361 seventh graders at Locust Grove and Prospect Heights middle schools.

Youngsters below third grade have their vision checked with a MTI Photo-Screener, which takes two Polaroid pictures of their eyes, from which abnormalities can be detected by the Lions. The older students have both vision and hearing checked in the Lions District 24C Sight and Hearing Mobile Screening Unit.

The unit was also used to screen 83 area residents this fall health fairs at the Madison County, Shady Grove Baptist Church in Orange and at Lake of the Woods.

Lions Sponsor Leo Clubs at Schools

Leo Clubs, in which students develop problem-solving and leadership skills as they serve their communities and schools, are about to be launched at Locust Grove Middle School and Orange County High School. The Lake of the Woods Lions Club is sponsoring the clubs with the support of Middle School Principal Martha Roby and Orange County High Principal Eugene Kotulka.

There are more than 5,500 such service clubs, chartered by Lions Clubs International, in some 130 countries. The name Leo stands for Leadership, Experience, and Opportunity, signifying what clubs offer their members. What the clubs offer their communities are all sorts of services, such as collecting eyeglasses that can be reused, collecting food for the needy, or conducting school educational programs about the dangers of drugs.

The LOW Lions' Youth Outreach Committee will help the local clubs obtain charters, which require 20 students to submit applications signed by parents, and will provide guidance long-term in cooperation with advisors at the schools. Carol Curry chairs the committee.

Club membership is open to the middle school's seventh- and eighth-graders and to the high school's ninth-. tenth-, and eleventh-graders. Interested students or their parents are urged to call the principals' offices: 540-661-444 at the middle school, and 540-661-4300 at the high school.