Giving the Gift of Sight

September is “Save Your Sight” month, and many are doing their part to bring the gift of sight to others. The Alachua County Lions Clubs are joining in by working on many projects and activities to spread the gift of sight around the community.

“Lions clubs throughout the world will be participating and working with the gift- of-sight theme,” said Michael Mason, the Lions Club Counsel Chairman MD35 in Florida and the Bahamas.
Mason said all of the clubs in Alachua County work together to improve the community.
“All work in the Gainesville area, even if they are from Hawthorne, Alachua or High Springs, Mason said. “All come together for the good of Alachua County.”

Mason explained that there are three Lions Clubs in Gainesville: the Gainesville Lions Club, the University City Lions Club and the Gainesville University of Florida Lions Club. There are also Lions Clubs located in Alachua, High Springs, Hawthorne, Newberry and Turkey Creek.

The Gainesville area has 150 Lions Club members and is part of the Lions Club International organization, which has 1.4 million members and 204 locations all over the world.

One of the clubs’ specialties is working together to help the blind and to improve eyesight for those in need.

The Lions Club International began in 1917 in Chicago, Mason said.

“In 1925, Helen Keller came to the international convention in Ohio and asked the Lions to become the knights of the blind,” Mason said. “Since then, that has been our main focus.”

In the 1960s, the North Florida Eye Foundation — which was funded by the Lions Club — originated at the University of Florida under Dr. Kaufman. While at UF, Kaufman invented and perfected the procedure for corneal transplants, Mason said.

The Lions Club participates in many activities and fundraisers to help the visually impaired throughout the community and the world. The clubs provide free eye screenings, eyeglass exams and glasses to the needy.

Shirley Shuler, a member of The University City Lions Club since 1990, said members collect used eyeglasses from the public at schools, grocery stores and other locations. The glasses are then sent to an Ocala recycling center for washing. After the cleaning process, the glasses are given to churches to take to Third World countries.

The clubs also provide eye surgeries to those that qualify, Mason said.

The Florida Lions Foundation for the Blind works with the doctors to get surgeries done at the Medicare cost, Shuler said.

“They will never pay more than the Medicare cost,” Shuler said. “This saves a lot of money.”

The Lions Clubs also hold many fundraisers to improve the sight of others and always encourage public participation.

“All the money we collect from the public goes back to the public,” Shuler said.

“The clubs wish to thank the public for all of their participation,” Mason said.

The two most-noted fundraisers are the Candy Days and White Cane Days fundraisers.

During White Cane Days, Lions help to increase awareness of the use of the white cane and laws governing its use. Specific days or weeks may be designated for white cane events worldwide, according to www.lionsclubs.org.

Shuler said that each club has its own type of fundraisers, but all clubs participate in the White Cane Days fundraiser.

“For example, Newberry has a toy-show fair in February,” Shuler said.

Mason said one successful fundraiser called SightFirst II occurred last year. Lions Club members worldwide participated. This fundraiser raised $200 million to eradicate preventable blindness.

Fifty million dollars of what the clubs raised went to research, with a main focus on diabetes. Diabetes, the cause of diabetic retinopathy, is the No. 1 cause of blindness in the world, Mason said. Diabetic retinopathy causes damage to the eye’s retina.

The Lions Clubs also support three eye banks, a camp for the blind in Lake Whales and a Conklin Center in Daytona, which caters to the blind and multi-handicapped.

“The Conklin Center teaches people to live on their own and how to become good members of society,” Mason said. “It is the only facility of its kind in the world that supports the multi-handicapped.”

Shuler also said that the Lions Club works very closely with the Division of Blind Services.

“Last fall we made Christmas bags for the Division to give to local people,” she said.
It is the fulfillment of helping others that Shuler enjoys the most, she said.

“It’s a great satisfaction to know that you have been able to help give another person the gift of sight,” she said. “The most rewarding thing is when you have a person call and give you a little thank you for what you’ve done.” §

For more information, call Michael Mason at 352-286-4040.
Hayley Mathis is a student in UF’s College of Journalism. She may be contacted through the editor: editor@towerpublications.com.