By Khalida Sarwari
Several Lions clubs in the South Bay have members that hail from or have family in the Philippines, and Saratoga is no exception. The Saratoga Lions Club recently launched a charitable drive to provide disaster relief in the typhoon-stricken region.
The group is collecting donations to help survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. The funds, along with the $500 the organization has already pledged, will go toward rebuilding efforts.
Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, struck the area on Nov. 6, destroying cities and towns across the Leyte and Samar islands and rendering some areas a wasteland of mud and debris. In the aftermath, more than one million were left homeless and thousands were injured or killed.
“The Philippines is one area where the Lions have many, many members, so when disasters occur, local clubs solicit money, and we send that to the International Foundation and they send that out,” Marlene Duffin, spokeswoman for the Saratoga Lions Club, said. “It’s just a matter of building it back up. The need to supply long term assistance to them is substantial.”
One hundred percent of the money raised through the drive will be used to fulfill the needs of not only the people in the Philippines but also hard-hit communities in the Midwest, which were recently ravaged by tornadoes. Parts of Illinois suffered demolished houses, flooding and severe wind damage when the storms hit on Nov. 17. Those who prefer to have their money allocated to relief efforts in the Midwest are asked to write a note indicating that on their check.
The Saratoga Lions Club is part of an international service organization that engages in charitable work, focusing on helping the blind. The group assists in providing vision-impaired services to those in need and, among other efforts, provides funds for the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center.
The donations from the fund drive will be sent to the international organization, which will then distribute the money to local charity groups on the ground. The Lions International Foundation has thus far sent $500,000 to the Philippines, according to Duffin.
There is no deadline for the fund drive, Duffin said. “There’s always going to be a need to fund” places devastated by natural disasters, she said.
The group is working to put together a benefit event in the near future to collect additional funds for the Philippines.
For now, donations can be sent to the Lions’ fund drive by making a check out to LCIF and mailing it to club president Shirley Cancellieri at 14860 Cody Lane, Saratoga, CA 95070.
