Lions are more than 1.4 million strong, men and women young and old in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. This Civic/Service Organization gives freely of time and funds to help the less fortunate in local communities and around the world.

For more than 80 years. Lions have been recognized throughout the world for their service to the blind and visually impaired. Since 1925, the Lions have met the challenge of Helen Keller to "become knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness."

Although vision problems and the eradication of blindness are the main focus, Lions do many other things, such as collecting used glasses; providing eye exams and eye glasses to the needy; a hearing aid program; sending blind young people to summer camp and supporting Leader Dog for the Blind, the Storm Eye Institute, and an International Youth Exchange Program.

They also sponsor a Dixie Youth baseball team, a Leo Club (young Lions) at Richland North East High School, and award two scholarships for service to school and community.

The Lions Club is truly an outreach organization. The Northeast Lions Club meets the first and third Thursday of each month at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall at Windsor United Methodist Church, 9500 Windsor Lake Blvd., Columbia, SC, 29223.

There are no meetings in June and December. Presently, the club is recruiting new members.

To learn more about the Northeast Lions Club, call Lion Fred Leven, Membership Chairman, at 736- 5423.