The James Bland Memorial Music Scholarship Foundation
Gainesville, VA 20155
June 23, 2020

Fairfax Lions Club
I want to thank the Fairfax Lions Club for the generous donation of $400 to the Bland Music Foundation. This allows us to continue to award scholarships each year. I am gratified that you agree that these young, dedicated, talented musicians are deserving of our support. 
  As you already know, the contestants always display musicianship and professionalism of the highest order. Many of our state participants go on to attend the top music schools and conservatories in the country. Upon graduation, they enrich the cultural life of our country through teaching and performing.
  Conornavirus-19 has interrupted our competition schedule this year but we have been able to hold many of the local and zone level competitions.  As soon as it is safe to resume, we will move forward and hopefully be able to hold the state competition in a central location by the beginning of August..
  Again, many thanks for your continued support. We could not operate without clubs such as yours!

Yours in Lionistic Service,
Shirley Wilson, Bland State Foundation Chairperson

Donating $19,525, the Fairfax Lions Club along with Lions of Virginia Foundation (LOVF), other local Lions clubs and individuals, are supporting a special Food-For-Others priority.  Food for Others (FFO) is one of the largest providers of free emergency groceries in the region, distributing food each week to more than 4,000 local families in need.  Our Lions contribution will help kick-start FFO’s new mobile food pantry delivering emergency food to those not able to get to food distribution centers.  

Lions clubs are men and women volunteers who identify needs within the community and work to help fulfill those needs.  Our motto is: We Serve!  LOVF is funded by Lions clubs across Virginia to address statewide emergencies and humanitarian needs.  By teaming up, Lions were able to increase the amount donated to FFO.  LOVF matched donations of individual Lions clubs.  The clubs contributing to this donation: Fairfax Lions, Falls Church-Annandale Lions, Burke Lions, Springfield Global Lions, Clifton Lions, and Alexandria Asian-American Lions.  

As we all suffer from the impact of the pandemic, we are concerned for our neighbors who lost incomes, and families who may not know when they might next have a meal.  Representatives of Lions Clubs presented their cash donation to FFO at their main food warehouse at 2938 Prosperity Ave, Fairfax, VA on June 12.  We have hope it will go a long way towards providing basic food to those most in need in our community. 

According to Mike Rumberg, president of the Fairfax Lions Club “It is deeply gratifying how the various Fairfax area Lions Clubs quickly teamed together and partnered with LOVF to contribute this money to put help put food on the table and provide some comfort to our neighbors in need in these hard times. Lions Club members thank every person who supported our fund raising projects that make this donation possible. You truly help Lions make a difference in our community.”

At our video-conference meeting on June 2nd, Fairfax Lions enjoyed an excellent guest speaker – Ms. Bonnie OLooney, of the NoVA Resource Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC,   https://nvrc.org ).

NVRC programs bring information and resources to people with hearing loss, introducing them to a range of possible solutions to improve the quality of their lives.   Bonnie helped us understand the physics of hearing, environments where we may be trying to improve our hearing, and various technology solutions to improving hearing.  Over our Zoom hookup, we could all hear great!

Anyone interested in learning more about Fairfax Lions Club, send email to info@fairfaxlions.org or leave message at: 703-879-5795