I recently sent a letter to the Lions Club International headquarters in Illinois to finally thank them for the work they did for me and my three siblings over 40 years ago when my brother and two sisters were in the Guardian Angel Home orphanage in Joliet, Il.

On the 23rd of December, every year I was at the orphanage , we orphans got on the bus and drove to town to go to the “Lions Club Christmas Dinner”. It was so exciting because we go to get dressed up and go to down town Joliet. The orphanage was out in the country in those days and so going down town was a very big adventure for us.

The Joliet Lions Club members put on a great dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and we got pie for dessert. We were so excited because after our scrumptious dinner we each got a wrapped present with our name on it. For some of us, it was the only present we got every year. It made us feel so good and we couldn’t wait until Christmas Eve, to open our present.

I can’t thank the Lions enough for their act of kindness that made us feel so good. It was in 1963 and I was eight years old when I first got to go to the “Lions Christmas Party”. Until I left the orphanage 6 years later I always looked forward to that event.

I hope the Lions Clubs and anyone who is trying to do good things for others realizes you do make difference. Don’t stop giving. Everything you gave was received.

Sal