Mazarron Lions help relief efforts in Lorca

THE Mazarron Lions Club are considerable ‘stepping up’ their involvement in relief efforts for Lorca.

Anybody who wishes to make a donation can do so to Banco Santander IBAN 0049 4578 38 2010004392 ‘Lions Club of Mazarrón Bahía – Lorca Account.’

Alternatively contact Lion Sid Worland on 968 429 236 with your stated intent.

With most of the 300 plus displaced people now out of the emergency tented camp and living in dedicated prefabricated housing, normality is very slowly returning to the Lorca area. Basic foodstuffs and household ancillaries are, however, still in high demand and continue to ‘eat up’ donated resources at an alarming rate.

Thanks to the generosity of the public, the Foundation of Spanish Lions Clubs, Lion Clubs International Foundation, many Lions Clubs throughout Spain, – just a few of which are listed below – to date Mazarrón Lions Club – nominated by the Spanish Federation of Lions Clubs as the Lorca Project Leaders – have been able to supply over €50,000 worth of ‘everyday’ articles and food but, at a consumption rate of around €6,000 weekly, corrective solutions rather than just ‘filling the gap’ now need to be established, prioritised and implemented without further delay.

Lions Clubs International Foundation € 7,100.00+  Marbella Lions Club(Deutsch) €10,000.00+
Mazarrón Bahía Lions Club (UK) € 2,650.00+  Huercal Overa Lions Club(Esp) € 1,600.00+
Torrevieja Suomi Lions Club(Fin) € 600.00+  Torrevieja Costa Lions Club(UK) € 4,600.00+

Representatives of Mazarrón Lions, together with representatives of the Lions Clubs of Torrevieja Costa, Torrevieja Suomi and the Federation of Spanish Lions Clubs have visited Lorca on a number of occasions recently, holding meetings with both the Lorca ayuntamiento and the appointed Earthquake Relief Commission, aimed at establishing how Lions in Spain – and throughout the world – might be able to provide more effective long-term support to the unfortunate people of that town.

A number of urgent areas of need were identified by them, the most crucial of which is felt to be the total rebuilding of the Centro de Desarrollo Infantil y Atención Temprana (Center for Infantile Development and Early Learning for Disabled Children) which was badly damaged during the earthquake and which is still in a very dangerous condition.

Of necessity it is currently closed and, being so badly damaged, it has been decided that it would be cheaper to build a new centre from scratch rather than to try to repair the old one. 

Building land has been made available by the Lorca ayuntamiento and the estimated building cost is in excess of €700,000.  Of this amount, €300,000 has already been pledged by Vodafone España and, at a meeting held last weekend in Madrid, it was decided by the Spanish Foundation of Lions Clubs that they would endeavour to meet the balance from existing funds and by polling other Lions Clubs throughout Spain. 

An approach has also been made to Lions Clubs International Foundation in America for additional funding.

Numbering just fifteen members and only a little over six years old, the Lions Club of Mazarrón Bahía is one of the most active clubs in the Spanish Lions Federation and are always looking for more people to join them.

There is a small membership fee which, despite the daunting tales you that you may have heard from one or two ill-informed sources, amounts to under €1.54 per week for individual members – or €0.77 per week for ‘family’ members.  Unlike some international charity organisations, where ‘administration’ fees are charged, 100% of any monies we raise via our ‘fund-raising’ activities are used exclusively for welfare purposes!

If you’d like to know more, please contact your nearest club’s Membership Director for more details…

Mazarrón Area – Lion Mervyn Booth on 968 163 082 or mervynbooth1@gmail.com
Torrevieja Area – Lion Iain Bennett on 966 731 495 or idsbennett@hotmail.co.uk

Photo credit: Mark Stocks www.vistasdemurcia.com