Kyiv Lions Club Raises Almost $60,000 For Charity
Published 14th Dec 2011 by Elvira Garanina

Kyiv 10th December 2011, Hyatt Hotel – The Kyiv Lions Club successfully raised $59,700 for charity at their annual Presidents Christmas Gala Dinner. 200 members and their guest gathered to review the past year, enjoy a sumptuous dinner, hold a live and silent auction and raffle all to raise money for worthy causes in Ukraine

Every year the Kyiv Lions Club host a Gala Charity dinner in aid of local worthy causes at a prominent Kyiv Hotel. This year it was the turn of the Hyatt Regency hotel that not only donated their ballroom for the evening but also subsidised the meal and made a major donation to the live auction. The guests were members of the Kyiv Lions Club and their guests which included top executives for the Ukrainian and international business communities.

Marjon Cals the 2011 President of KLC said the theme of the evening was: “If we all give a little just look at what we can achieve’ and as a result of some amazing generosity in these difficult times we have exceeded our expectation two fold”.

The evening was opened by Ukrainian Opera diva Susanna Chakhoyan with three magnificent operatic arias for which she received a standing ovation. This was followed by a festive dinner and a fund raising auction. Almost everything in the evening was supported sponsorship from over 40 companies including major international brands and new Ukrainian ventures.

The whisky bar and auction was supported by Highland Park Whisky, the wines by Dolmart, the live auction by over 40 companies including: The Intercontinental, Fairmont, Radisson Blu and Hyatt hotels, KLM and UIA, Volvo Trucks, What’s On magazine, Euro 2012, Carlsberg, Philips, African Quest Safari’s Imperial tailoring and new comer to western style charity ‘Open Kiev’ whose simply bus tour of Kiev by night raised $4,000. The biggest surprise of the evening was the auction of half a day of truck driving lessons with Volvo at the Chaika Polygon which raised $9,000.

This year was unique in that by combining small offerings from so many companies KLC was able to create auction prizes of real value. InterContinental and What’s On combined to offer a Be a Star for a Weekend. The new Fairmont Hotel and UIA combined to offer a long weekend in Monaco, KLM and African Quest Safari’s combined to not only offer a weeks safari in Kenya but also to use the proceeds for a joint project with Nairobi Lions Club, Euro 2012 and Carlsberg combined to offer a Euro 2012 match ticket and match football. The silent auction and raffle were equally well supported by companies each giving a little.

As a result the Kyiv Lions Club had their most successful President’s Gala ever raising almost $60,000 for worthy causes in 2012. President of Kyiv Lions Club Marjon Cals in her summary of the work of the charity in 2011 made special note of the project to rebuild the burns Unit at the Kyiv City Hospital No2 which has enabled the centre to increase the number of life saving operations from two per day to fifteen. “It is truly amazing to see what happens when we all give a little”. Marjon said. “Real charity begins in the heart” she added.




KYIV LIONS CLUB

Kyiv Lions Club was registered in 2002. Since then it has expanded to over 70 members who through their expertise and hard work have raised and donated almost $750,000 to worthy causes in Ukraine. Such is the growing reputation of that international companies now view Kyiv Lions Club as a safe means of making charitable donations and of ensuring that their generosity is not diverted. . KLC donations have been used to provide essential life support systems for new born babies, equipment for diagnosing cancer in children, teaching equipment for children with Down Syndrome, sporting opportunities for the mentally disabled, shoes and better living conditions for orphans, cataract operations, new glasses, vaccinations and Christmas baskets for the elderly as well as providing construction and decoration materials for homes for the orphaned, sick and elderly. . . Besides the Club has been the main sponsor of Special Olympics Ukraine delegation. All of this has been made possible through your kindness and generosity. Kyiv Lions Club would like to say thank you to all who gave of their time and money to support its projects.

LIONS CLUB INTERNATIONAL

Lions Club International is the world’s largest charitable organization. With over 45,000 clubs around the world, Lions are an international network of 1.3 million men and women in 250 countries and geographic areas who work together to answer the needs that challenge communities around the world. Lions participate in a vast variety of projects important to their communities. These projects range from cleaning up local parks to providing medical equipment and supplies to needy, including vulnerable children, the disabled, elderly and victims of natural disasters. Beginning in 1917, the Association of Lions Clubs has provided millions of people with the opportunity to give something back to their communities. The mandatory policy for Lions Clubs the world over is that each club is funded by its members and that 100% of all funds raised are donated to verifiable charity projects.

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