Vidyavihar Lions Club marks its Golden Jubilee with a new eye clinic, an international partnership, and nearly 900 lives touched in two days
Some anniversaries call for celebration. Others call for something more. As Vidyavihar Lions Club, District 3231-A1 stepped into its Golden Jubilee year, it chose to mark the occasion not with ceremony alone, but with a fresh commitment to the work that has defined it for five decades.
On March 28, 2026, the Lions Eye Clinic opened its doors at the club’s expanded premises in Mumbai. District Governor Trevor Martis inaugurated the new facility, which will offer cataract surgeries at heavily subsidized rates, addressing one of the most common and correctable causes of vision loss among underserved populations.
On the same day, First Vice District Governor Rajendra Shah inaugurated the Occupational Therapy Centre at Vidyavihar Lions Medical Centre, rounding out a facility that now offers a broad range of care under one roof. Under the steady leadership of Chairperson Bharat Ravani and Vice Chairperson Jignesh C. Mehta, the Medical Centre has grown into a trusted resource for the neighborhoods it serves.
Built by Many Hands
- Premises: Jayesh Botadra
- Grant Support: ₹25,00,000 by Lions Hospital, District 3231-A2 (Facilitated by Past District Governors Rajnikant Shah and Suvidh Sanghvi; and Lions B.R. Mehta and Surinder Sharma)
- Additional Contributions: Ranjanben Mehta, Lions Derek Lam (Singapore), Chimanlal Mehta, Dipesh Doshi and Nupen Gandhi
- Leo Contribution: ₹2,50,000 from Vidyavihar Leo Club, a meaningful gesture that places the Leos firmly in the story of this milestone
The following day carried its own significance. On March 29, 2026, Vidyavihar Lions Club partnered with Singapore Fullerton Lions Club for a Gift of Sight camp at Kamraj Nagar, Ghatkopar East.
The partnership went beyond a formal twinning. Lion Derek Lam, a key donor to the Eye Clinic, travelled from Singapore along with fellow member Lion Eileen to volunteer on the ground, working alongside their Indian counterparts through the day.
OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation supported the camp, ensuring consistency in the quality of care across every station.
The community turned out in force. A total of 861 people attended, and 600 pairs of spectacles were distributed on the spot. Among those examined, 36 were identified with cataracts and will now receive surgery free of cost at the newly inaugurated Lions Eye Clinic, drawing a direct line between the camp and the clinic opened just the day before. Eighteen Lions and Leos, along with 12 staff members of the Medical Centre, each contributed six hours to make it all run.
Two days, two inaugurations, one international partnership, and a community that showed up in numbers. As Vidyavihar Lions Club enters its Golden Jubilee year under the theme Rising Above, this weekend sets a clear benchmark for what that means in practice: healthcare that reaches further, service that crosses borders, and a younger generation already carrying its share of the work.
