The club has supported many projects in the past that have far reaching, international benefits. In the late 80s, shortly after the club's inception, a major project was successfully completed, in which the club gathered and sent 2 shipping containers filled with hospital equipment and supplies to Sri Lanka.

In the mid 90s, the club was instrumental in obtaining and sending an ambulance to Haiti and has been a supporter of Project Haiti. Run by a local Ontario resident, this project has been instrumental in building and supporting a much needed hospital in Haiti.

In November each year, the Lions of District A15 send a team of optometrists and Lions to Guatemala to run an eye clinic. This clinic provides general eye care, prescription glasses, sunglasses and when available, hats and ball caps to protect the eyes from the damaging rays of the sun. In recent years, the team has been working with VOSH Ontario (Volunteer Optemetric Services to Humanity) to increase and enhance the level of care provided during these clinics. VOSH Ontario was formed in 2003 by 4 Lions from District A15 including on of the Royal City Lions Clubs own members. The two teams combined, along with a group of Guatemalan Opthemologists and support workers, manage to see and assist 5000 Guatemalans each year in the Peten province of northern Guatemala. This enhanced care includes a mobile surgical unit which allows us to provide immediate surgical assistance to those who are suffering from various ailments including Cateracts, Glucoma, and other operable eye conditions.

The Royal City Lions is proud to say that the club has been supporting this project since it was started, both financially and by collecting and sorting used eyeglasses sent with the team. The club is even more proud to have included one of its members as part of that team. Lion Stephen Jones has traveled to Guatemala as part of the team in 2000, 2001 and again in 2002. Lion Stephen has also assisted the project by developing a computerized inventory system for the eyeglasses carried to Guatemala by the team. This system catalogues each pair of glasses and provides the Optemetrists and Technicians with a quick and accurate lookup of the available inventory. The use of the system has increased the efficiency of the team by almost 40 percent.

What Else?

Unfortunately, mother nature and/or humankind periodically produce a natural/manmade disaster somewhere in the world. The Royal City Lions Club has in the past, and will continue to provide support (financial and otherwise) for humanitarian efforts, assisting those in need when a disaster strikes. Some of the most notable include the flood of the Red River Valley in Saskatchewan; the World Trade Center disaster in New York; and earthquakes in El Salvador and Peru.