LUPUS FACT SHEET

The Lions Club of Castries in partnership with the Saint Lucia Arthritis and Lupus Association present the following facts on Lupus:

For more information write or call :  

The Saint Lucia  Arthritis and Lupus Association (SLALA)

Sans Souci

P O Box 1066

Castries

Telephone + Fax 1-758-459-0092

LIONS DISCUSS LUPUS

Thursday May 20, 2010 the members of the Lions Club of Castries left their usual meeting place and met at Auberge Seraphin hotel for their social meeting to discuss Lupus an  emerging concern for Saint Lucians.  

Dr Altenor  made a presentation on lupus  which was followed by an interactive session.  

Lion Eyonthe Husbands gave an overview of the Saint Lucia  Arthritis and Lupus Association and urged members to continue to seek information on Lupus and encourage anyone whom they may know suffering from this disease to join the Association.

Lions attentively taking in the presentation

Lions and their guest Socializing after the presentation

Second Zone Advisory Meeting

On April 24, 2010, the Lions and Leos of Zone 3B met in Ti Rocher Micoud to report on the activities of the Clubs during the last quarter.  The Meeting was chaired by Zone Chairperson Lion Beverly Josie who commended the Clubs for the work that they had undertaken in the various communities.   She noted that despite the many challenges of low membership participation, delinquency in the payment of club dues, non- attendance at meetings, Lionism is alive in Zone 3B as during the meeting two new members were inducted into the Gros Islet Lions Club.

The major activity for the clubs was the Kids in Sight Project  which saw hundred of kids around Saint Lucia receiving eye care in the form of corrective surgery and being fitted with eye glasses.   Of significance this quarter was the effort made by each club in the zone to meet the $500 US contribution to the Haiti  reconstruction fund.  This  request was made by the District Governor during her Audit of the Clubs.  Presentations were made by the President of the Lions Club of  Castries and the Micoud Lions Club.

Members were reminded of their commitment to service in their various communities and implored to reach  out into the communities to serve the less fortunate as WE MOVE TO GROW.           

                            Zone 3B Meeting called to order                   

         

 

 

Cheque presentation  President Micoud Lions

 

SOCIAL MEETING - AUBERGE SERAPHIN

What is Lupus

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years. In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs ("foreign invaders," like the flu). Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues ("auto" means "self") and creates auto-antibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These auto-antibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body.

• Lupus is also a disease of flares (the symptoms worsen and you feel ill) and remissions (the symptoms improve and you feel better). Lupus can range from mild to life-threatening and should always be treated by a doctor. With good medical care, most people with lupus can lead a full life.
• Lupus is not contagious, not even through sexual contact. You cannot "catch" lupus from someone or "give" lupus to someone.
• Lupus is not like or related to cancer. Cancer is a condition of malignant, abnormal tissues that grow rapidly and spread into surrounding tissues. Lupus is an autoimmune disease, as described above.
• Lupus is not like or related to HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) or AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). In HIV or AIDS the immune system is underactive; in lupus, the immune system is overactive.
• Our research estimates that at least 1.5 million Americans have lupus. The actual number may be higher; however, there have been no large-scale studies to show the actual number of people in the U.S. living with lupus.
• It is believed that 5 million people throughout the world have a form of lupus.
• Lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age (15-44). However, men, children, and teenagers develop lupus, too.
• Women of color are 2-3 times more likely to develop lupus.
• People of all races and ethnic groups can develop lupus.                                                             (Extracted from Lupus  Foundation Inc.)

 Members of the Lions Club of Castries are invited to the next Social Meeting on Thursday May 20, 2010 at the Auberge Seraphin Hotel, Vigie.     The guest speaker for this meeting will deliver an interactive presentation on LUPUS.  
Members please bring along a family member or a friend to hear about this disease which is afflicting many persons in our society especially the young.

LEO CLUB OF CASTRIES CELEBRATE 26 YEARS

The Leo Club of Castries celebrated twenty-six years of its existence on April 07, 2010.  To mark this occasion  the Club together with its parent club attended  a church service at the Castries Methodist church 

followed by a sumptuous local breakfast at the Pink Plantation Inn. 

 

 Members of the Leo Club together with members of the  Lions Club of Castries after the church service and at breakfast

The week of activities which included  Feeding the  homeless elderly  culminated in a Dinner and Dance at the Lions Den on  Saturday  April 17, 2010.  At that dinner two new members were inducted into the fold.  The  highpoint of that activity was to say thank you to their many supporters and  sponsors.  Lion Beverly Josie, Zone Chairperson who presided over the induction ceremony expressed her congratulations to the club for having survived the many challenges faced by young persons today and still being able to provide young persons with an avenue for growth.

In addition  the Leo Club showed appreciation to the Leo Advisor Team. Although  the Team has worked tirelessly with the Club Lion Beatrice Mac Donald was presented with the Lions  International Leo Club Advisor Award for dedicated service"to fulfilling the roles of Educator, Motivator, Counselor, Liaison and Humanitarian".  Lion Beatrice in accepting award indicated that  her role was made  easier because of the commitment, dedication and support of the other two Advisors as well as the enthusiasm of the Leos club members.

                       

The Club took this opportunity to recognize the persons who had contributed towards their projects during the past year, these included , The Saint Lucia Planned Parenthood, T& T Produce Ltd., The Saint Solid Waste Management Authority.

The Board of Directors and Members of the Leo Club of Castries wish to express their gratitude to the many sponsors, supporters, their  guiding L ions Club - The lions Club of Castries, the other Lions Clubs in Zone 3B for their continued support throughout their many years of service.