Beaufort NC Lions Club

06/19/2026

Beaufort Lions had a fabulous turnout as we celebrated the end of another great year with a Social and Induction Ceremony at the The Backstreet Pub Beer Garden. Our heartfelt thank yous go to Liz Kopf & Dusty for this spacious outdoor area and for their continuous support of Beaufort NC Lions Club throughout the year. As always, it was also great to have our good friend Carl Sombrio at the outside bar for the evening. He was a tremendous help throughout the evening (and especially with set-up), and his enthusiasm and friendly nature added to the fun. Our super entertainment was provided by Morris Willis. He and Liz have been a special part of our ceremonies for years.

Past Board Secretary Alyssa Parker installed our two new members, Denise and Greg Kline, sponsored by Lions LuAnn and Mark Davis. Welcome, Denise and Greg!

Past President Peter Crumley awarded the Melvin Fellowship Award to Lions George E Herring and Alan Pate. The Melvin MJF is the highest form of recognition from the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), honoring individuals who demonstrate exemplary humanitarian service.

Lion President Peter also handed milestone year membership pins to Dr. Patrick Patterson for 30 years, Lion Mollie Brown for 25 years, and to Lions Joe Canosa and and Janie Jones for 10 years!

New board members for the 2026-2027 year were installed as follows.
President Micah Shepard
Secretary Nan Bejian
Treasurer Jason Williams
Past President Peter Crumley
1st Year Director Amy King
2nd Year Director Laura Snyder
Tail Twister George Herring
Membership Chair Leigh Harrison

Congratulations to our new board, to everyone recognized and to all members of the club for such a fantastic year. Lions, let’s make it another great year!

06/15/2026

The 3rd Annual Mayo-Miles Walk on Saturday was a huge success. Thank you to all who attended, donated and supported it.

Makenna Mayo and Stella McClure, two amazing young ladies, have done a fabulous job in organizing this fundraiser. With matching donations, they raised $32,100 for the Foundation Fighting Blindness. The Mayo/Miles Event, is named after Shelton Mayo and Miles McClure. Shelton Mayo, is a teacher and coach at West Carteret High School, living with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a genetic retinal disease that causes progressive vision loss, often resulting in blindness. Miles McClure, a local young child, lives with Coats Disease, a rare eye disease that affects the retina and can lead to vision impairment, impacting learning development. Their stories inspired family members and friends, Makenna Mayo and Stella McClure, to create Mayo-Miles in 2024 as a student-led blindness awareness walk to honor individuals living with
blindness and Low-Vision, while helping others better understand the challenges of those living with visual deficiencies through participation in an interactive experience.

Lion Nan Bejian did North Carolina Lions KidSight Vision Screening at the event and screened 9 children, with 2 referrals. Several of our members walked with blindfolds that demonstrated what it was like to have Retinitis pigmentosa and other forms of visual impairments.

We hope to continue to support this event each year.

Congratulations to Makenna and Stella and the Mayo Miles Walk on another successful year!

Visit the Mayo/Miles website at:
https://mayomiles.my.canva.site/
Read the event Flyer: https://canva.link/2026mayomilesflyer
Visit Foundation Fighting Blindness to make an additional
donation: https://give.fightingblindness.org/mayomileswalk

06/12/2026

Having fun at the Beaufort NC Lions Club tent on Saturday at Olde Beaufort Farmers' Market!
Kit Stewart and Rita O’Brien, all the way from New York!

06/12/2026

Here’s a FREE shredding event for you!

Spring cleaning just got easier! 🗂️✨

Protect yourself from identity theft and safely dispose of old documents at our FREE Community Shred Event!

Join Holland Shepard Group and Shred-it at SECU, 1900 Live Oak Street in Beaufort, where your confidential documents will be securely shredded onsite.

✅ Up to 5 bags or boxes per person
✅ Staples, paper clips, and thin folders accepted
❌ No binders or binder clips
❌ Personal documents only — no business shredding

Gather those old files, clear out the clutter, and enjoy peace of mind knowing your sensitive information is being securely destroyed.

We look forward to seeing you there!

06/11/2026

DOGS FOR DOLLARS!
IT'S AS EASY AS 1,2,3

Help us reach our goal of sponsoring a Future Leader Dog when you visit Beaufort Pet Provisions, Inc.

1. Choose your donation amount: $1, $5, $20
2. Add your name (or your pet's name) to the dog tag
3. Make a huge impact in the life of someone who is blind or visually impaired.

NOTE: ALL PETS ARE WELCOME TO DONATE! 🐶 🐱 🦎 🐴 🐰 🦆 🐠 🐓

06/10/2026

Lions Club Recycle for Sight Program

Drop off your old, gently used eyeglasses or sunglasses at local participating optometry clinics in our area. Your donated frames are refurbished, sterilized, and distributed for free to those in need worldwide. Check out our Drop-Off locations below.

What the Lions Club Accepts:
* Eyeglasses: Prescription and reading glasses (including dollar-store readers).
* Sunglasses: Both prescription and non-prescription.
* Frames: Plastic and metal frames.
* Damaged Eyewear: Broken glasses and spare parts are accepted; unusable frames are salvaged for scrap metal cash, which funds visual impairment programs.

What They Do Not Accept:
* Loose, unmounted lenses.
* Contact lenses (unless they are unopened, non-expired, and in their original boxes).
* Entirely plastic clip-on sunglasses.

THANK YOU TO OUR BEAUFORT LOCATIONS

Loaves and Fishes Thrift Shop - 1700 Live Oak Street

First Citizens Bank - 1505 Live Oak Street

Dr. Frank Covington, OD - 1620 Live Oak Street

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – 215 Ann Street

First Bank, Beaufort - 1503 Live Oak Street

Beaufort Vision Clinic (Dr. Patrick Patterson) - 300 Campen Road # A

Beaufort Pet Provisions – 1622A Live Oak Street

Beaufort NC Lions also have a Booth at The Farmers Market - Beaufort Courthouse Square, on the first Saturday of every month

THANK YOU TO OUR MOREHEAD CITY LOCATIONS

Coastal Eye Clinic - 3504 Bridges Street

First Baptist Church, MHC – 810 Bridges Street

My Eye Dr (Eye Care Center) - 5100 US-70

First Bank, Morehead City - 137 NC-24

06/09/2026

Beaufort Lions will be offering FREE KidSight vision screenings from 10am-1 pm on June 13th at the Mayo-Miles event.

Saturday, Jun 13, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

REMAX Team Johnson Building
4206 Bridges Street
Morehead City

Please join us in supporting Makenna and Shelton Mayo in their fundraiser to raise awareness for the Blind and Low Vision. Form a team and walk one mile with one team member wearing a blindfold. Our Club will be helping to promote this event and will be donating the drinks. Nan will have the Kidsight Van available to do screenings. Peter will be speaking. Lunch will be provided.

Sign Up Here or at the event!

June 13, 2026: 10-12PM EVENT DETAILS: The Mayo-Miles walk is a guided walk on the Bridges Street Bike Path, and the event will start at the SaltWorx building (old News Times Building next to Friendly Market) in Morehead City. Teams of two will be provided one blindfold each, and the remainder of the...

06/01/2026

Camp Dogwood for the Blind and Visually Impaired, located on scenic Lake Norman in Sherrills Ford, NC, is a recreational facility for the blind and visually impaired, run by the NC Lions Foundation, offering therapeutic summer camps and year-round retreats with activities like boating, canoeing, archery, fishing, hiking, and arts and crafts.

Last week Lion Peter Crumley enjoyed pontoon rides and many of these activities as a camper at the camp, while Lion Dot Gassert Crumley served as a volunteer. Note in Photos: The counselors (wearing green t-shirts) were from 7 different countries.

If you are looking for a fun summer experience as a camper or as a volunteer, get more information here:
www.nclionscampdogwood.org