For Information Contact:
Haverhill Lions Club President Daniel Hickey, Jr.
c/o Haverhill Lions Club
133 Eighth Avenue
Haverhill, MA 01830
(978) 372-2337

For Immediate Release

HAVERHILL, MA, October 25, 2005 -- The Haverhill City Council presented a Citation to Haverhill Lion Gary Albanese in recognition of winning the 2005 Lions Clubs International Web Site Contest for the design of the Haverhill Lions Club's web site: www.HaverhillLionsClub.org.

The presentation took place at the Haverhill City Council Meeting on October 25, 2005 in the Haverhill City Council Chambers, Haverhill City Hall, 4 Summer Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts 01830.

Past District 33N Governor and Haverhill Lion John Pettis, Jr., Haverhill Lions Club President Daniel Hickey, Jr., members of Haverhill and North Andover Lions Club and his family, joined Lion Albanese at the meeting.

Lion Albanese is a life-long resident of Haverhill and owner of Haverhill business Galaca Web Solutions.

The web site contest winner announcement came at the 88th Annual Lions Clubs International Convention in Hong Kong, June 27 through July 1, 2005 and was published in the October 2005 issue of THE LION Magazine.

Lion Gary Albanese told City Councilors that, "Web sites were judged for quality and content by members of the Public Relations Committee of the International Board of Directors at the Lions International Convention." He further stated that, "Honorable Mentions Awards were given to: the Hammonton Lions Club, District 16-C, New Jersey, USA; and the Santa Fe Lions Club, District O-2, Argentina."

Lion Gary Albanese said, "To put the web site award in perspective, there are nearly 1.35 million Lions members in 46,000 clubs in 194 countries and geographic areas."

"It is an honor for the City of Haverhill to be recognized as a global leader in supporting and positively effecting its fellow citizens," said Lion Albanese. "I have received congratulatory messages from Lions throughout the United States and from around the world," continued Lion Albanese.

Lion Albanese listed for the City Councilors some of the key features of the Haverhill Lions Club web site including: Club News, Calendar, Search Engine, Translation In 9 Languages, Anniversary Years Sections, Expanded About Us and Past Presidents Sections and Text Only Version.

Lion Albanese said, "The Haverhill Lions Club web site was designed to make its content accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. The "Text Only Version" of the web site makes the content accessible to all users despite any physical, sensory or cognitive user disabilities, work constraints or technological barriers that a person may have."

Lion Albanese stated, "The ultimate winner of the 2005 Lions Clubs International Web Site Contest are the residents of Haverhill and the global users who visit the web site." He continued, "As with any organization, communication is one of the major keys to that organization's success. The Internet has given our Club a great communication tool."

Lion Albanese then listed to City Councilors a few of the services the Haverhill Lions Club have provided in the past year to help out Haverhill residents. The list included:

• Providing funding for numerous pairs of eyeglasses and eye examinations.
• Being a major contributor for two BrailleNote Machines for two Haverhill Public School Students.
• Providing major funding for a resident to obtain a Leader Dog from the Leader Dogs For The Blind in Rochester, Michigan.
• Sponsoring a member of the Haverhill High School "Model United Nations Debate Team" to attend the National Competition in New York City.
• Sponsoring two Camperships to the Haverhill Boys' Club Camp Tasker.

At the end of the presentation Lion Albanese thanked the Haverhill City Council for the Citation and publicly thanked all citizens who support the Haverhill Lions Club.