Celebrities joined Lions debut in this year's National Memorial Day Parade. We honor those who have fallen before us, and those who have served their country and now continue their service in their communitiesLions Clubs honor our military 'Everyday Heroes' who have given the ultimate sacrifice.Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future.
Washington, D.C. May 26, 2009 -- Navy Lieutenant Dr. Andy Baldwin and Olympic Gold Medalist gymnast Dominique Dawes highlighted the Lions Clubs Float on Monday, May 25 at the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C.
Lions Dr. Andy Baldwin and Dominique Dawes on Lions float
Dr. Baldwin and Ms. Dawes shared the float with a number of military veterans who are Lions Clubs members and a representation of the 2008 Lions Clubs International Peace Poster Contest grand prize winner. These Lions veterans served their country in Korea, Vietnam, and in various campaigns during World War II.
Over 150 military veterans and volunteers from the Lions Clubs in Washington D.C., Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia marched along Constitution Avenue in the Lions Clubs debut at the National Memorial Day Parade. The float followed a "Sea of Purple" of individual club banners from across the locality. Lions Clubs were represented as far as Spotsylvania, VA in the south and Brookside, DE in the north.
"We honor those who have fallen before us, and those who have served their country and now continue their service in their communities," said Brindisi Chan, chairperson of the Lions Clubs National Memorial Day Parade Committee. "Lions Clubs honor our military 'Everyday Heroes' who have given the ultimate sacrifice."
This is the first time the Lions Clubs have appeared in the National Memorial Day Parade. Lions Clubs of Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia include over 500 clubs and almost 17,000 men and women.
Special Olympics athletes also joined the parade to celebrate the ongoing partnership between the Lions and Special Olympics to provide eye exams and glasses free of charge through the Healthy Athletes Opening Eyes initiative.
Dr. Baldwin, who joined the Sacramento Senator Lions Club last year, is also an Undersea Medical Officer, physician, Ironman triathlete, Navy Diver, humanitarian and the recipient of DAR's 2009 Medal of Honor. Currently stationed in Washington, D.C. at the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Dr. Baldwin's projects include working with the U.S. Surgeon General on their initiative against childhood obesity called "Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future."
Ms. Dawes, a three-time U.S. Olympian and Gold Medalist in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, is an honorary member of the Washington, D.C. (Special Olympics) Lions Club. She is the first African-American to win an individual gymnastics Olympic medal. Graduating with a degree in Communications from the University of Maryland, Ms. Dawes is a renowned public speaker on health issues, sports participation, equality for women and African-Americans, and self-esteem. She has also made her mark as an actress on Broadway and in television broadcasting with CBS, CNN and TNT networks, notably as an analyst at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for Yahoo! Sports.
PICTURES of the event may be downloaded from www.valions.org, under "Events and Information."
Lions Community Outreach Foundation (LCOF) of District 22-C is a community based, not-for profit organization committed to preventing blindness through sight-saving outreach programs. Visit the LCOF for sight services, volunteer opportunities and eyeglass collection at www.lionsoutreach.org.
Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with nearly 1.3 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in 205 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions Clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world.
In a partnership with the Lions Clubs International Foundation and Special Olympics, tens of thousands of Special Olympics athletes from around the world have undergone vision screenings and received, free of charge, corrective and protective eyewear since the Healthy Athletes Opening Eyes program's inception in 1991.
In its third year, the National Memorial Day Parade attracted over a quarter of a million spectators and be viewed by over 16 million homes on local stations and the Pentagon Channel.
