In the Sept. 10 edition of The Lake Orion Review, readers were asked to submit memories related to the Lions Club in honor of their 70th anniversary celebration.

On Oct. 7 1976, we ran a story about 5-year-old Christy Chitu, a blind girl the Lake Orion Lions Club had given a braillewriter to.
Thirty-two years and one day later, now married and the mother of an 11-year-old daughter, Christy Van Tuyl still uses the braillewriter to write down everything from grocery lists to poetry.
‘It still works,? she said. ‘She’s old, but I still love her.?
Van Tuyl’s mother, Mary Steiner, said getting the braillewriter really opened up possibilities in Cristy’s development.
‘It made it a lot easier, because she could do work at home. She could communicate better, write to her friends. It’s a very complex machine,? Steiner said.
After attending the Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing, Van Tuyl eventually moved to the Kalamazoo area, where she now lives with her husband, David, and their daughter, Syndi.
Van Tuyl said she will always be grateful to the Lions Club for their generosity when she was a child growing up in Lake Orion. In addition to the braillewriter, she also has fond memories of going to a Lions Club camp, where she and other children would canoe, camp, go on hayrides, and perform in talent shows.
‘You learned how to use your imagination,? she said. ‘I learned that I may be blind, but I wasn’t alone. I would like to thank the Lions for their kindness to the disabled. Keep up the good work. My life wouldn’t be the same without them.?
Van Tuyl specifically wanted to thank Al Kassin and Jim Leach, two longtime Lake Orion Lions Club members.
‘These guys have really stepped forward and done something,? she said. ‘If I needed something, all I had to do was call.?
The Lions are turning 70 this year. The club will hold a special program on Friday, Oct. 10 at the Canterbury Castle Banquet Center, and the public is invited.
That event includes dinner and a cash bar, along with a presentation on the Lake Orion Club and Lions International. It all begins with social time at 6 p.m.
Tickets for the celebration are $30, and reservations (with checks payable to the Lake Orion Lions Club) can be sent to Lion Al Kassin at 1873 Hunters Lane, Lake Orion, MI 48360.