Diabetes Support for our Community

LIONS CLUB MEMBERS PROVIDE SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

Opunake, New Zealand, 17th October 2021 — The Opunake Lakeside Lions Club 52904 serve the community by providing monthly diabetic support groups. This volunteer activity occurs at St. Paul’s Community Hall, Opunake. Completion of the Lions club service project is a benefit to the community because it continues to provide support to pre-diabetics, patients with types one and two diabetes; families of those who support their kin who have diabetes.

According to Rosemarie of Opunake Lakeside Lions Club, “We don’t raise money for our group as we are happy to serve our community as volunteers. Lions Daphne Sinclair-Holley and myself run the group with much needed help from Glenys Clark, Diane Forsyth, Rachel Norgate, Raewyn Cornford and Gladys Stuart; they are members who contributed to this important work. They are truly helping Lions make a difference in our community.”

The Opunake Lakeside Lions Club has 18 members and meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 6 PM at a variety of locations in our town as we like to support our local businesses. Opunake is fortunate to have two Lions clubs who are groups of men and women who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs. Opunake Lakeside Lions are proud supporters for women in the community. For more information or to get involved with the Opunake Lakeside Lions Club, please contact our Membership coordinator Diane Forsyth through email opunakelakesidelions@gmail.com. In our two years of service we have won a local award for our District, which then went on to win the National Multi District Service Award.

About Opunake Lakeside Lions Diabetic Support Group
A newsletter is produced every month reminding our members of the interesting talks we have had from the Taranaki Diabetic Support Team at Pinnacle Health. We have had a dietician, social worker, the diabetic coordinator, and a pharmacist.
The group also find support amongst themselves by being able to discuss any issues they may have encountered during the month. A diabetic morning tea is also provided.

Next month, for International Diabetes Month a podiatrist is providing a video and support pamphlets. Also during November our group are collating their walking steps for us to add to the New Zealand Lions clubs totals. The idea is to “Lap the Map” by having the total steps taken by members to walk from the very north of New Zealand’s North Island, Cape Maria van Diemen, to the very south of the South Island, Bluff.