District Peace Poster Coordinator Lion Katherine with winner Chloe and PID Lion Tony Benbow.

It is our great pleasure to announce that Australian student Chloe Hua has been chosen as a merit award winner in the 35^th Annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest.

The 13-year-old student from Vermont Secondary College in Melbourne’s East who was the Lions Club of South Vermont’s club winner, received the award after being judged the V5 district winner out of four outstanding Peace Poster entries.

Approximately 600,000 children from 60 countries participated in this year’s Peace Poster Contest. The posters were judged at the club, district and multiple district levels before reaching the international level, at which point they had been narrowed down to 120 posters.

Based on creativity, originality and portrayal of the theme “Lead with Compassion”, Chloe’s entry was chosen as one of just 23 merit award winners. As such, she will receive US$500 and a certificate of merit.

The 23 merit award winners are from Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macedonia, Malaysia, Tunisia and the United States (California, Louisiana, and New York). The grand prize winner will be announced at the Lions Day with the United Nations on March 3, 2023.

The message behind Chloe’s entry was, “a world of peace is a world where regardless of age, gender, race or size, everyone is united as a whole, in a limitless world; lead by empathy, compassion, and acceptance”.

Chloe’s peace poster entry – the theme was “Lead with Compassion”.

V5 Peace Poster Coordinator Katherine Parzis went to visit Vermont Secondary College and presented the District Peace Poster plaque engraved with Chloe’s name and school to Chloe and School Principal Tony Jacobs last year.

PID Lion Tony Benbow OAM, Chairman of our Australian Lions Foundation, represented his club, South Vermont Lions, at the presentation and congratulated Chloe on behalf of the club and shared words of encouragement for the International Peace Poster Judging event.

On behalf of Lions Australia, we would like to congratulate Chloe on her merit award as well as all of the other peace poster entrants – well done!

It is our great pleasure to announce that Western Australia student Hannah Roberts has been chosen as a merit award winner in the 34^th Annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest, while two Australian Lions/Leo clubs have both been presented with Kindness Matters Service Awards.

Lions International Peace Poster Contest

The Booragoon Lions Club’s sponsored International Peace Poster entry created by Hannah Roberts has been hailed as “amazing” by those who have seen it. 

Hannah Roberts with her amazing Peace Poster entry.

Approximately 600,000 children from 55 countries participated in this year’s Peace Poster Contest. The posters were judged at the club, district and multiple district levels before reaching the international level, at which point they had been narrowed down to 109 posters.

Based on creativity, originality and portrayal of the theme “We Are All Connected”, Hannah’s entry was chosen as one of 23 merit award winners. As such, Hannah will receive US$500 and a Certificate of Merit.

To be chosen as one of just 23 merit award winners from across the world is indeed a superb honour. Congratulations Hannah! 

Kindness Matters Service Awards

Meanwhile this month, Lions Clubs International presented The City of Adelaide Lions Club and The Leo Club of Melbourne Next Gen with their Kindness Matters Service Awards.

This year, only 30 out of 48,000 Lions clubs received this prestigious award, which is given annually to Lions and Leo clubs for performing an outstanding service project in one of Lions Clubs International’s global cause areas: diabetes, hunger, vision, environment, childhood cancer, humanitarian, disaster relief or youth.

The City of Adelaide Lions Club was presented with the award for their Hear Me Roar! Project founded by the club in 2016. It started by creating care packs and making multi-purpose heart shaped cushions for both adult and child patients in hospitals. It quickly grew to include making port pillows to provide cushioning to the chest and/or abdominal area for people with port/incision/surgical/trauma sites.

They added cushions for children in hospital going through cancer treatment or craniofacial surgeries, disadvantaged and vulnerable youth in various organisations and foster care. In 2018, the project started another initiative, sorting and labeling children’s books, and packing them into age appropriate book bags to be distributed to disadvantaged and vulnerable youth across South Australia. The project has supported over 7,700 individuals across SA so far.

The Leo Club of Melbourne Next Gen was also presented with the award for holding a fundraiser in August, 2021.

Aside from pledging AUD$1000 to support the Lions and Leos from Sri Lanka (in collaboration with Lions Club of Melbourne Next Gen) and the Lions Clubs International Foundation for the purchase of medical and laboratory equipment to fight Covid-19, the Leo Club organised a Virtual Telethon to raise further funds for the ‘Thousand Hopes’ campaign!

Well done to all!