Every year the DeAnza Lions Club contributes thousands of dollars and hundreds of people hours to the following charities and organizations:

 

Canine Companions for Independence (LPCCI) – is a national nonprofit organization that enhances the lives of children and adults with disabilities by providing highly-trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. More Info. Every year the DeAnza Lions purchase lifetime memberships to Canine Companions in the name of one or more of our members. This helps fund the training of these dogs. Participation of Lions Clubs dates back to the mid-1970s.

City of Hope – “a world leader in the research and treatment of cancer, diabetes and other serious diseases”. The organization is dedicated to “making lives whole again”, being guided by a compassionate patient-centered philosophy, and supported by a national foundation of humanitarian philanthropy. More Info. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is “one of 47 comprehensive cancer centers in the USA”.
A “City of Hope” donation box is passed around at both AM and PM meetings for continuing fundraising. All funds raised are doubled by matching donations from Lions International. As a result we are able to raise a substantial amount of money for this cause.

American Diabetes Association (ADA) – is a non-profit charity organization. Their mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. They lead the fight against the deadly consequences of this disease by funding research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes. They invested almost $ 34.5 M in diabetes research in 2016 through major grant programs. In August 2017, the first bike ride in support of the fight against Diabetes will take place, initiated by the DeAnza Lions, and jointly sponsored by LCI and ADA.  More Info.

The Don Bosco Sneha Bhavan orphanage is located in Cochin, Kerala, in the South of India. The Non-for-profit organisation helps and supports orphaned kids whose families can’t afford to house or educate them. Lion Claire, her husband Anil and their 3 kids visited in December 2019. Since then, the DeAnza Lions Club has purchased and donated much-needed upgrades to their electrical circuit. In Mid November 2021 the club sent a check over $1400 to them to cover school supplies for a year for all 130 students in the orphanage.
Here is a short video of their activities:https://youtu.be/LAttFAn1tAk

Don Bosco sent a lovely greeting and best wishes for the new year

We Don Bosco Sneha Bhavan wishes you and Your Family a Happy and prosperous NEW YEAR

You are the reason behind their smile during the year 2021

More information on their website: www.dbsnehabhavan.org

Here is a link to the October 2022 newsletter – 2022 103022 Newsletter Don Bosco India

Here is a link to the June 2024 newsletter Don Bosco

and a heart moving story about one of the boys who achieved a great goal GEORGE

EDGE Youth Leadership (Formerly NCYLS) – The DeAnza Lions continue to sponsor two students per year. More info.

Eyeglass Recycling/Lions in Sight – One of the Lions’ major focuses has always been on eyesight and vision. Since the charter of the DeAnza Lions, we have been at the forefront of collecting used eyeglasses. We have about 14 collection sites in and around Cupertino where several Lions stop by on a regular basis to collect the glasses. They are given to a designated person in the club, who will store them for a couple of months, before they will be delivered to the Vista Center on Bascom Ave, Santa Clara. Directions to Vista Center San Jose – Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Here is a link to more info for Lions In Sight.
More info.

Fisher House Foundation – was established by Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher in 1990, after being made aware of the need for temporary lodging facilities for families at major military medical centers. The Fishers personally dedicated more than $20 million to the construction of comfort homes for families of hospitalized military personnel. More than 64 Fisher Houses now operate at military bases and medical centers across the USA. Hundreds of thousands days of free lodging are provided by Fisher Houses every year, saving families millions of dollars. Tens of thousands of families have stayed in Fisher houses since the beginning of the program. More Info.

Hearing Foundation/Ear of the Lion – is a non-profit foundation operated and funded by Lions Clubs in California and Nevada. It was established in 1982 and provides hearing tests and hearing aids to qualifying low-income patients. “One of the primary goals of The Hearing Foundation (Ear of the Lion) is to fund medical research that focuses on causes, prevention, and treatment of hearing loss and other ear diseases. The Foundation strives to educate the public on what it means to be deaf or hard of hearing, and on the challenges that hearing-impaired individuals face each day” (by Healthy Hearing). The organization also collects hearing aids for recycling. All Lions Clubs, including the DeAnza Lions, make fixed per capita monetary contributions each year. More Info.

HomeFirst (formerly Social Advocates for Youth, then EHC Lifebuilders) – HomeFirst is the leading provider of shelter, housing opportunities, and supportive services to people in crisis and those experiencing homelessness in Silicon Valley. The organization has thrived since 1980 because their leaders, employees, and the community passionately believe in their mission and vision of a society without homelessness.

Hospice/Sutter Care At Home – Sutter Care At Home is an affiliate of Sutter Health which was founded in 1906. The organization is committed to compassion and excellence in home care, serving over 150,000 patients each year.

India Eye Camp in Dandeli India – Starting in 2006, Cupertino DeAnza Lions and the Lions of Ambikanagar (India) have been working on a joint mission to help eradicate blindness through an “Annual Free Eye Camp” in a remote part of India. Since its inception, thousands of patients have been seen and hundreds of surgeries have been performed by local eye doctors at a cost of only $15 per surgery. This global cooperation reflects the spirit of Lionism, which is “To Serve”.

The Lions Clubs International Foundation – http://www.lcif.org was founded in 1968 to take the mission of Lions Clubs International to new heights by tackling global problems, as well as assisting Lions with large-scale local humanitarian projects. LCIF’s history is filled with high-impact projects, meaningful partnerships and the kindness and efforts of Lions. With continued support, you can count on LCIF to continue and expand programs to improve lives around the world far into the future.

NURU International – NURU International is a non-profit social venture with a mission to end extreme poverty in remote, rural areas. They have developed a model to transition vulnerable communities from humanitarian assistance to sustainable community development. Their goal is to go in, equip the community to create effective solutions that create sustainable, scalable impact, and then leave. Rather than give handouts, they design training-based poverty solutions that promote self-reliance and service-mindedness to enable local leaders to continue scaling impact long after Nuru International staff has exited the project. They are currently working in Ethiopia and Kenya. This is one of our many international outreach efforts to impact lives far away.

OMAR’s Dream Run – OMAR’s Dream Foundation was founded in 2014. Its mission is “to enable hospitalized and medically supervised children to remotely attend school, allowing them to stay connected to their teachers and class mates.” The Cupertino DeAnza Lions Club, in conjunction with a forming Omar’s Dream Foundation, sponsored the first ever 5k Omar’s Dream Run at Hellyer Park in San Jose in 2013. This event enabled the organizers to donate thousands of dollars for the requisition and installation of computers at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto. Since then the foundation has also introduced Omar’s Dream at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. In autumn of 2017 the 5th event will take place. The DeAnza Lions will – as in past years – donate sweat equity and help on the day of the event with set-up and break-down.

Project Linus – Project Linus is a  volunteer non-profit organization.  Their mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade, washable blankets lovingly created by volunteer blanket makers or ‘blanketeers’. Project Linus has delivered over 3,000,000 security blankets to children around the world. With nearly 400 chapters in the United States, they continue to supply blankets to children in need. Although Project Linus originally donated blankets to pediatric cancer patients, recipients now include any child who is seriously ill or traumatized in some way — in other words “children in need of a big hug.” The DeAnza Lions provides blanketeers to help Project Linus and their cause. Our latest meetup February Blanketeering.

Pull Tab Collection/Ronald McDonald House – Many fellow lions remember to tear off the pull tab on soda or beer cans. These tabs are usually bare aluminum and can be recycled without further process to remove paint or other contaminants. All collected tabs are handed over to one responsible fellow Lion who weighs the bags before handing them over to our representative at the district meeting. After establishing the winner of the highest amount of pull tabs, they will be delivered to the Ronald McDonald House of Sacramento. More info.

Rebekah Children’s Services – Rebekah Children’s Services has been helping kids find homes, get treatment and overcome obstacles for over a hundred years. The organization receives grant support through the network of giving of United Way, and the DeAnza Lions also make a substantial donation to this good cause each year.

San Jose Airport USO Veterans Services – We support this organization with a small annual donation.

Youth Exchange – We support this organization with a small annual donation. Several years ago, the club participated in the youth exchange program by hosting 2 students for 1 – 2 weeks in host families with kids of similar ages.

YWCA – We support this organization with a small annual donation and as a recipient of our Thanksgiving Food Drive. More info at Silicon Valley YWCA.