Lion Paul Forestiere, Lions District 20-Y governor, was presented with the Melvin Jones Fellowship award—the highest honor given to a Lion— at the Fulton club’s January meeting.
“The Melvin Jones Fellowship is the Lions International Foundation’s highest honor,” said club President Patrick Devendorf. “It represents humanitarian qualities such as generosity, compassion and concern for the less fortunate. District Governor Paul Forestiere embodies these qualities and has been an exemplary lion, serving twice as president of his Pulaski Lions Club, and participating in countless community projects over the years.”
Forestiere was the guest speaker at the joint meeting of the Fulton and Oswego Lions clubs, and he focused on his mission as governor: to improve family literacy throughout District 20-Y, by mobilizing the nearly 50 Lions clubs he oversees to take action. The district borders the St. Lawrence River to the north, the southern shores of Lake Ontario to the east, almost to Rochester, Pennsylvania to the south, and the Capital District to the east.
Forestiere is also a member of the Literacy Coalition of Oswego County, (LCOC), a network of agencies, institutions, businesses and volunteers with the mission to promote literacy and advocate for literacy services in Oswego County. He is also the executive director at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County. The Fulton club presented him with a $1,000 donation to LCOC.