By Anthony Rifilato
But Preisz, who is self-employed and does medical billing and tax returns, decided to take a chance and give back to her community.
"I was like, 'you know what, why not,'" said Preisz.
Since then Preisz - who is now the club's president - has been spearheading the organization and is hoping to revitalize the club, which has seen its membership dwindle in recent years. The Baldwin Lions provides scholarships to local students and helps the blind and those with diabetes, among its many other altruistic endeavors.
"These are the things we focus on as an organization," said Preisz. "But we need people, and you can have fun with it."
There are more than 1.4 million men and women who belong to the Lions in more than 180 countries. More locally, the Baldwin Lions, which was formed in 1947, regularly honors students in Baldwin, and most recently presented scholarships to Baldwin High School students at the Student Achievement Honors in May, including a $1,000 community service scholarship. In total, the Lions gave out $2,000 to students that evening.
"The people who most appreciate it are the kids," said Dr. Beverly Alder, the club's secretary and a clinical psychologist who practices in Baldwin.
Among the group's many community service-based initiatives, the Baldwin Lions distributes flowers to South Nassau and Mercy hospitals for Christmas and Valentine's Day. They also sponsor an arts-and-crafts fair each year at the Baldwin LIRR train station, brainstorm with the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs and sponsor everything from a Baldwin Little League team to Baldwin Middle School stage productions.
But their main goals are eradicating preventable and reversible blindness as well as diabetes. The Lions participate in "Journey for Sight," an international project meant to prevent or reverse blindness in the world. The group distributes in addition to donating eyeglasses and hearing aids to those school children in need.
In addition to donating eyeglasses and hearing aids to those in need, the Lions have also donated guide dogs to the blind, which can cost $5,000 to sponsor.
"To actually function as a guide dog, it needs to be training and training is expensive," Preisz said.
The organization also maintains a courier system with the North Shore-LIJ Health System's Eye Bank, and Lions volunteers transport corneas for those in need of a transplant or for research to nearby hospitals.
"We really try to do good things," said Preisz. "We're the best kept secret in Baldwin."
But Preisz and others are concerned, since the Baldwin Lions' membership has steadily declined in the past several years, she said. Since 1999, the organization has seen its membership drop from 22 to just 13 today. There are a number of reasons for this, but mainly, said Preisz, people are just busy.
"The Baldwin Lions started out really big, but as the years went on, people passed away," said Preisz. "The other thing is that people have moved away. There are so many factors to it. I think part of it was that they didn't get the membership up and running as much."
This past March, Preisz walked into a meeting, and believed that the club would be dissolved, especially since its President, Ralph DiBari, who was a Lions member for over 40 years, had stepped down.
"At that point, we were thinking about closing the club," Preisz said.
But to her surprise, the 12 members that remained asked her to fill DiBari's shoes.
"I walk in and there is district governors and past district governors there to support us," Preisz said.
The group decided to press on, and now, they are looking to boost its membership. Membership dues are $65 a year, and the group usually meets once a month at the Grand Buffet on Grand Avenue.
The Lions are open to people of all ages and Preisz and Adler said that the group is trying to be more flexible, so that those with busy schedules can be still be involved. They are also looking to revamp the organization, by looking into new fundraising initiatives and ways to keep the club viable.
"Our members can contribute their time as they have time available," said Adler. "Volunteerism is an important part of the Baldwin Lions, as we work to provide the community with support. I always hear back from our members that they are so fulfilled."
The next Baldwin Lions meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 18 at 7 p.m. at the Super Grand Buffet on Grand Avenue. For more information, contact Janice Preisz at (516) 608-1553.
