CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE May 16, 2018
The Shawville Lions Club is hoping that the general public participates in their latest community service campaign. The Message in a Bottle project was orginally started by Lions members in the UK and spread from there.
“It’s a project that we thought would go over well in the Pontiac because we are an aging population. Unfortunately none of us are getting younger,” said Shawville Lion Terry Campbell. “It’s targeted at people with medical conditions, allergies, elderly people living alone, anybody that takes medication.”
Participants fill out a form with their personal and medical information, seal it in a bottle and place it in the fridge, with stickers on the front door and fridge door to alert first-responders.

“If the patient is unconscious, confused or doesn’t have the information the first-responders need, the information in the bottle will speak for them,” Campbell explained. “It’s an idea that originated with Lions in the UK. Ireland really embraced it a few years back and they have over 90,000 of these bottles placed throughout the country.”
The kits are currently available at both the Familiprix and Uniprix pharmacies in Shawville, as well as the Pontiac Chiropractic Clinic. They are free of charge and include stickers, and forms for two people.
“You can also ask any Lion for one. Any function we’re at over the summer, we’ll have bottles there to hand out,” Campbell said.
He added that the Lions had already notified first-responders throughout the region of the project, and they were completely on-board. The project has been in the works for about a month or so, but Campbell said that they have just distributed the first 300 bottles, with the hopes of giving out more if the demand is there.
“Anyone that can benefit from the project, those bottles are there for the asking,” he said. “It’s a really simple idea, it’s cost effective. The information can be life-saving so we’re hoping the community will embrace it.”