HUNDREDS of local children are covered in sun safe style more than ever before thanks to the Lions Club of Beaudesert.
This club, which has been providing short sleeved swim shirts to prep and grade 1 students for 18 years, this year managed to up the ante to provide long sleeved shirts for the first time.
It is the club’s signature project and the shirts have become so iconic they have been recognised on beaches as far away as Hawaii.
It is a gesture well-appreciated by locals, and each recipient from Tamrookum State School handmade a card for the Lions to show their appreciation.
The cards feature happy drawings of children in their swim shirts and hand written messages thanking the Lions for the shirts and describing the shirts as ‘cool’ and ‘beautiful’.
In a strong and very visible display of community teamwork, the back and sleeves of each shirt is covered in the logos of the local sponsors who make the project possible.
Thanks to the generous donations of those sponsors, the club was able to provide more than 300 long sleeved swim shirts to children from Beaudesert and surrounds.
President Steve Roberts said sun safety was important.
“Long sleeved shirts are the way we’ll be going from here on in, because it’s a matter of caring for our kids,” he said.
“We’re actually showcasing these to other Lions clubs in the area to see what they can do to support the health and well-being of their young ones as well.
“We get a sense of enjoyment when you see kids out there with our shirts on. They last a long time and it’s good to see them being used and wanted.”
