Lions Club twins with Chinese counterpart

Annie Flanzraich

Friday, Aug. 5, 2005 | 5:40 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

August 6-7, 2005

The Summerlin Lions Club has partnered with another club halfway across the world in Shenzhen, China, to share community service ideas and foster an international relationship.

It is the first time a Lions Club in the United States has twinned with a club in China.

"We think it's a great way to foster international relations," said Dane La Joye, a spokesman for Lions Clubs International. "They learn about each other over the years and form a bond."

Since July of 2004, there have been 280 twinnings internationally. Pairing with a club in China is special because of the hurdles Lions Clubs International had to overcome while working with the Chinese government, Esther Louie, public relations chairwoman for the Summerlin Lions Club, said.

"To have the government approve Lions over there was a huge step," Louie said. "It kind of opens up a relationship developing peace."

She got the idea of twinning the clubs from a past international president who talked to her about it. Louie said she thought it was a good idea because of her Chinese heritage and also to improve relations with China.

The twinning officially happened June 24, and David Chung, the international relations chairman for the Summerlin Lions, traveled to China to cement the relationship.

"It was wonderful," Chung said. "You have a lot of young people in their mid-30s and mid-40s who are very energetic. They were so proud."

Building Lions Clubs in China has been a 10-year process, said La Joye. It began when Lions Clubs International started working with the Chinese Federation of Disabled Persons to facilitate cataract surgeries.

"We established a relationship with the Federation of Disabled Persons and the government," La Joye said. "Over the past 10 years the government in China saw that our soul purpose was humanitarian."

The first Lions Club in mainland China was established in 2002. There are now 49 clubs with more than 2,000 members.

Part of twinning is working with the Chinese Lions Club to continue to treat eye conditions. One-fifth of the world's blind population lives in China, Louie said.

The Summerlin Lions Club donated $1,000 to the Huang Gang Lions Club in China as part of the pairing.

"It contributed to screen the eyes and operations on the cataracts," Chung said.

The two clubs will correspond during the year about the different service programs they are holding. And next year before the International Lions Club Convention is held in New Orleans in July, several members of the Huang Gang Lions Club will come to Las Vegas to join with their twin chapter.

"Members of the club plan to come to Las Vegas, and we will be officially entertaining them right here," Louie said.