Since 2009, the Union County Lions Club has sponsored and conducted eye screenings for Head Start children. Usually with this testing, four or five children will be identified to have vision problems–problems that are not found in your pediatrician’s office testing. If these problems are identified and treated before the child is six years old, 70 percent of blindness can be prevented. Although Union County Lions Club is still a young club, several projects have been completed. Just before school began, Pre-Kindergarten children were tested. KidSight Outreach is a program of Lions International that originated in Tennessee in 1997 and has been adopted by 12 states and four countries. Past District Governor James McFarland has been instrumental in securing instruments and in training others to assist him with this work. District 12N (the East Tennessee Lions district) has instruments which cost approximately $5,000 available for local clubs to use in testing.

Just think, if only one person can be saved from going blind, it would all be worthwhile, but over the years we know this club, whose most important mission is sight conservation, will spare many individuals from blindness.

Anyone interested in the plight of the blind and vision impaired would be welcomed into the new Union County Lions Club. The Lions can offer an opportunity to serve in Remote Area Medical Health Clinics throughout the area. Lions also collect used glasses and hearing aids that can be reworked and provided to persons of need. If you see someone using a Leader Dog, that dog and its owner will have been trained; and, the Leader Dog-and-owner training will have been provided by Lions. Lions will be at the Heritage Festival again in October. Visit their display. They will be accepting orders for pecans and look forward to your order.

Lions International is the largest service organization in the world; and, in addition to the work with the blind, persons of low vision and diabetes, the organization offers many opportunities for personal growth through seminars at District and National Conventions. For more information, contact President Phil Norman or Brenda Sweet at 992-5853 or any Lion.

A Head Start child gets her eyes tested by Randall Jones.

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Head Start children waiting to have their eyes tested.