Keeping the Focus on Their Community
by Kevin Fritz
In 1925, Helen Keller spoke to a relatively new group called the Lions Club, which had formed to help the communities where its members lived.
During her address, Helen called on attendees at the Lions Club International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, to be the “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” Since that day, the Lions – now an international organization of 49,000 clubs with 1.4 million members – have become synonymous with providing eyeglasses and vision care for those in need.
In April, the Oviedo-Winter Springs Lions Club honored that longstanding commitment to vision and community as it celebrated its 25th anniversary. As the club was commemorating reaching such a significant milestone, its members were also preparing to help host the 107th annual Lions International Convention in July – when thousands of Lions from around the world will roar into Orlando.
Visionary Work
Teresa S. Pedroza, a director with the Oviedo-Winter Springs club, says the organization’s mission has expanded well beyond its vision work.
“We do a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” says Teresa. “Since our founding in 2000, we have been dedicated to serving our community through vision screenings, scholarships, and partnerships with local organizations that support those in need.”
For example, the club assists the local nonprofit HOPE Helps in its back-to-school initiative by conducting free eye exams and supplying glasses for students in need.
The club also houses a food pantry and delivers food to area schools and meals to families during the holidays. In addition, the group conducts diaper drives, awards scholarships to high-school seniors, and constructs and donates benches around town.
On top of that, the local Lions group donates $10,000 a year to area charities, with 100 percent of all money raised or donated being put right back into the community.
Even though it has branched out, the Oviedo-Winter Springs club still considers vision care to be its #1 initiative, underscored by its Project Right to Sight program.
Keeping Their Goals in Sight
The Right to Sight initiative, designed to improve vision health in the community, is headquartered at an eye clinic in Ocoee that is operated through a partnership between the Oviedo-Winter Springs and Ocoee Lions clubs.
Robert Littlefield and his wife, Kathy – members of the Oviedo-Winter Springs club – volunteer at the clinic, which is open once a month to give free eye exams and glasses to those who are homeless or uninsured.
“We think that we make a difference at the end of the day,” says Robert, who has been a Lion for 41 years (here and in Fargo, North Dakota). “We show kindness to others and serve those needing help.”
Dr. Francisco Richardson, a fellow Lion and Oviedo High School graduate, donates his time seeing patients at the clinic, while optician Dale Heimeir supplies the glasses on site. Other club members volunteer to handle the pre-testing duties.
One of those volunteers is 82-year-old Patricia Stamm, who served as director of the clinic until two years ago. Originally from Long Island, New York, she has been a Lion since 1991.
“We have to remember the indigent have certain needs,” says Patricia, “and it doesn’t matter what community they come from.”
Typically, the eye clinic assists 25 to 30 people in a day. Recently, the clinic received new equipment for vision and hearing screening, enabling volunteers to better serve their community.
“The clinic is special,” says Patricia. “We usually bring a new member to the clinic, and they are hooked. People should come and see what we do.”
The Oviedo-Winter Springs Lions Club meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m., preceded by a social at 6:30 p.m. at Twin Rivers Golf Club Grill Room in Oviedo. Guests and prospective members are always welcome.
To learn more, visit OWSLions.org.