VALLEY — On Monday, Valley Lions Club received a visit from District Governor Pedro Pino of St. Clair County who updated them on the impact Lions Clubs donations are having in the state. The Lions Clubs International Foundation, he said, helps people in the event of natural catastrophes and carries on a long-time tradition bestowed on them by the late Helen Keller “to be knights for the blind.”

“We’ve tackled these big numbers before and succeeded,” he said. “I believe we’ll meet that goal again. We will also fight diabetes and childhood cancer.”

Pino is now visiting clubs throughout District 34, thanking those that have donated generously in the past and encouraging clubs that have fallen short to get better organized in the way of fundraising.

“The foundation has done so much good work in helping people after storms,” he said. “They help in getting grants for storm-impacted communities. The foundation really helped Jacksonville after last year’s tornado. We can never repay the foundation for what it has done.”

Clubs throughout the district are being asked to donate at least $100 to the current fundraising drive. Valley Lions did five times better than that, contributing a check for $500.

Pino was most pleased by the donation, and asked members of the club to come to the district convention, which will be in Birmingham on March 22 and 23.