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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 11:40 a.m., Friday, July 25, 2008

Youths from 13 countries to be honored tomorrow by Lions

The Hawaii Lions International Youth Camp will host a "Fond Aloha" farewell dinner for 24 youths from 13 different countries tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Jarrett Middle School.

The event caps a three-week visit by the 16- to 18-year-old teen-agers from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Italy, Israel, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Turkey.

They will dance hula and perform their own cultural dances and songs.

During their visit, the teen-agers met with Gov. Linda Lingle and Mayor Mufi Hanneman, who are both Lions Club members. On Maui they met with Maui County Mayor Charmaine Tavares and members of the Maui Council.

They also participated in two community service projects: Removing 2,000 pounds of invasive plants from the lo'i in Iao Valley Park on Maui, and helping clean Keehi Lagoon and Haleiwa Beach Park on Oahu.

They also visited tourist attractions such as the Polynesian Cultural Center, Arizona Memorial, Waipahu Cultural Gardens, Hanauma Bay, Diamond Head Crater and hiked around the Haleakala Crater at no charge.

The mission of the Hawaii Lions International Youth Camp is to bring together young people from different countries into an atmosphere of friendship, love and understanding under the banner of Lionism and to permit the open sharing of ideas and cultural viewpoints to promote international understanding and goodwill towards the goal of world peace. The Hawaii Lions Club of Hawaii has been sponsoring this camp since 1980's. Currently, there are four Hawaii youths participating in international camps in other countries.