Visit of Brian Sheehan to Turin and Chivasso

The visit of Brian E. Sheehan, Lions Clubs International Past President and a board member of LCIF (Lions Clubs International Foundation), took place on Thursday 29 October 2026 in Turin and its province, promoted by Lions District 108 Ia1. It was Sheehan's first visit to the Turin area, made up of stops in Turin and Chivasso over the course of the day ^[1][2].

Morning at the Educatorio della Provvidenza

The day began at 11am at the Educatorio della Provvidenza on corso Trento 13 in Turin, where Sheehan took part in a ceremony unveiling the official plaque for the HPL (High Performance Learning) Diagnostic Centre, a facility run by the Consulta per le Persone in Difficoltà (Council for People in Difficulty) and serving children and teenagers up to age 18 with developmental and learning difficulties ^[1][2]. The initiative followed a fundraiser launched in 2025 by Lions members and private donors, joined in 2026 by the NOI NordOvest Insieme association, which helped bring the amount raised to nearly double the initial sum ^[1][2]. The centre also runs a project with vocational optics schools, which are supplied with eyeglasses as teaching material ^[2].

The stop in Chivasso

In the afternoon, at 3pm, Sheehan visited the Italian Lions Centre for Used Eyeglass Collection (Centro Italiano Lions per la Raccolta degli Occhiali Usati) at via Baraggino 76 in Chivasso, one of nineteen facilities worldwide dedicated to eyeglass recycling ^[1][2]. He was welcomed by Luisa Minella, Franco Guerra, Monica Coppola (president of the eyeglass centre), Ettore Puglisi (Governor of District 108 Ia1), and representatives of the Lions Club Chivasso Host and Chivasso Duomo ^[2]. During 2025 the centre collected around 6 million pairs of used eyeglasses, distributing more than 2.8 million of them in developing countries ^[1][2]. According to Prima Chivasso, Sheehan was named an ambassador of the eyeglass centre during the visit ^[2]. At 5pm a Mass for deceased Lions members was held, organised by the Lions Club Chivasso Host: according to TorinoOggi the ceremony was held in Chivasso, while according to Prima Chivasso it took place at the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Verolengo ^[1][2].

Evening at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory

In the evening the programme moved back to Turin. At 8pm, at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory on piazza Bodoni, Sheehan met with the Piedmont Region's deputy president, Maurizio Marrone ^[1]. At 8.30pm the show «Tra mito e magia: omaggio a Morricone» (Between Myth and Magic: a Tribute to Morricone) was staged, with Bruno Gambarotta as narrator, Elena Cornacchia on flute and Giorgio Costa on piano ^[1][2]. The event, promoted by the Lions Club Torino Europa in partnership with the Diocese of Bukoba and under the patronage of the City of Turin and Lions District 108 Ia1, was held to support the founding of the Magnificat School of Music, the first music conservatory in Tanzania ^[1][2].

Related articles: Chivasso

Sources

1. Il Past Presidente mondiale dei Lions Brian Sheehan per la prima volta a Torino — TorinoOggi, 27 October 2026
2. Il Past President Sheenan in visita al Centro Italiano Raccolta Occhiali Usati — Prima Chivasso, 29 October 2026