Oak Brook, Dec. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lions Clubs International (LCI) and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) recently honored Special Olympics Chairperson and Lions member Timothy P. Shriver, Ph.D., for his years of service with LCI and generous support of LCIF. During a special ceremony, LCI First Vice President Douglas X. Alexander presented Dr. Shriver with LCIF Melvin Jones Fellowship (MJF) recognition and thanked him for his Lions service and continued support of programs born from the long-standing Special Olympics-LCIF partnership.
The MJF program was established in 1973 to honor LCI Founder Melvin Jones. Considered the “backbone of the Foundation,” the MJF program recognizes donors who generously show their commitment to Lions’ humanitarian work through financial support of LCIF, or people for whom a donation was made by others. The recognition signifies a tremendous contribution to humanity and to the legacy of the association’s founder. During the ceremony, Alexander also thanked Dr. Shriver for his support of “Mission: Inclusion,” a collaboration between LCIF and Special Olympics that provides transformative services in the areas of vision care, health education, inclusive sports, leadership development, and youth activation in order to create more inclusive communities worldwide.
Since 2001, Special Olympics and LCIF also have partnered to improve vision care for Special Olympics athletes worldwide through the Opening Eyes program. At Opening Eyes events, Special Olympics athletes receive free vision and eye health tests, refractions, prescription eyeglasses and protective sports eyewear, as well as referrals for follow-up care.
With the MJF, Dr. Shriver, a Lion since 2001, adds to his prestigious Lions recognitions, having been honored in 2007 with Lions Humanitarian Award, the pinnacle LCI recognition given to individuals or organizations for their exemplary humanitarian efforts. Prior Humanitarian Award recipients include Mother Teresa, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Denis Mukwege.
About Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International is the largest service club organization in the world. More than 1.4 million members in over 48,000 clubs are serving in 200 countries and geographic areas around the globe. Since 1917, Lions have strengthened local communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects and can extend our service impact through the generous support of our Lions Clubs International Foundation. We are focused on supporting vision, youth, diabetes, the environment, childhood cancer, hunger, humanitarian and disaster relief, to help address some of the biggest challenges facing humanity. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit lionsclubs.org.
About Lions Clubs International Foundation
Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International. Established in 1968, LCIF provides grant funding to support the compassionate works of Lions, empowering their service and addressing the needs of their communities both locally and globally. LCIF is proud of its exemplary ratings history with Charity Navigator, the most-consulted U.S. charity evaluator.
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