Knights of the Blind
Congrats to Torrington Lion Kiki!
Lions Club president Margaret "Kiki" Tucker was dressed in casual attire in preparation for her volunteering to provide overnight supervision at Torrington's Operation Overflow Shelter immediately following a Lions Club meeting. To her surprise... past president Phil Dzurnak presented her with the "Knights of the Blind" plaque and pin award that same evening.
The prestigious award, respecting her achievements, marks an important milestone in her outstanding membership in the Lions Club. Her ability to lead by example is often a source of pride for the Torrington Lions Club. And, her unwavering compassion for our community is the driving force -- if not the heart and soul of the club.
The Lions Club International adopted the "Knights of the Blind" call to action after a compelling speech by Helen Keller in 1925. Standing before a room full of men at the Lions Club International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, she asked them to imagine what it would be like to stumble around in the dark for a lifetime.
"I appeal to you, Lions -- you who have your sight, your hearing, you who are strong and brave and kind -- will you not constitute yourselves Knights of the Blind in my crusade against darkness?", beckoned Keller.
Since that day, fighting blindness has been the primary focus of Lions Clubs International, which at this time still sponsors free eye screening programs, mobile eye clinics, pays for cataract surgeries for the poor, collects eye glasses for those in need and engages in numerous other programs that improve, save or restore ones vision.
The Preschool Vision Screening Exam that the Torrington Lions Club offers for free to the community is another example of their commitment to fighting blindness. Many children enter the school system with undetected vision issues because of the lack of proper screening. These children are at a definite learning disadvantage and/or at risk of serious vision loss. Detecting vision defects early generally means less invasive treatment and/or loss of vision.
The testing procedure is very non-invasive -- requiring only a photo of the child using a sophisticated camera that aligns and captures the image automatically. This specialized devise (although easy to operate) is capable of detecting a number of eye defect conditions such as; Amblyopia or "lazy eye," which is the most common cause of visual impairment in childhood, can be caused by any condition that affects normal vision development or movement of the eyes such as: strabismus (esotropia where eyes turn in or exotropia where eyes turn out); myopia or nearsightedness; hyperopia or farsightedness; cataracts; astigmatism; anisometropia (refractive errors differ in each eye); anisocoria (pupil sizes are different); coloboma (a gap in part of the structures of the eye); and ptosis (drooping eye lid).
Once an image is captured for analysis -- a hard copy printout is generated. The child’s parent(s) are then notified if there is any need for further intervention by an optometrist.
The club also gives back to the local community in many other ways. Recently a greatly needed defibrillator was donated to the Torrington Fire company by the club. Club members also went on a shopping spree -- purchasing Christmas gifts for kids in need. And, Lions Club members donated food, clothing and personal items to a local shelter to help ease the discomforts of being homeless.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the activities of the Lions Club should visit their website at http://torringtonlionsclub.com. Find out why their motto "We Serve" is so much more then words.
Lions Club president Margaret "Kiki" Tucker was dressed in casual attire in preparation for her volunteering to provide overnight supervision at Torrington's Operation Overflow Shelter immediately following a Lions Club meeting. To her surprise... past president Phil Dzurnak presented her with the "Knights of the Blind" plaque and pin award that same evening.
The prestigious award, respecting her achievements, marks an important milestone in her outstanding membership in the Lions Club. Her ability to lead by example is often a source of pride for the Torrington Lions Club. And, her unwavering compassion for our community is the driving force -- if not the heart and soul of the club.
The Lions Club International adopted the "Knights of the Blind" call to action after a compelling speech by Helen Keller in 1925. Standing before a room full of men at the Lions Club International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, she asked them to imagine what it would be like to stumble around in the dark for a lifetime.
"I appeal to you, Lions -- you who have your sight, your hearing, you who are strong and brave and kind -- will you not constitute yourselves Knights of the Blind in my crusade against darkness?", beckoned Keller.
Since that day, fighting blindness has been the primary focus of Lions Clubs International, which at this time still sponsors free eye screening programs, mobile eye clinics, pays for cataract surgeries for the poor, collects eye glasses for those in need and engages in numerous other programs that improve, save or restore ones vision.
The Preschool Vision Screening Exam that the Torrington Lions Club offers for free to the community is another example of their commitment to fighting blindness. Many children enter the school system with undetected vision issues because of the lack of proper screening. These children are at a definite learning disadvantage and/or at risk of serious vision loss. Detecting vision defects early generally means less invasive treatment and/or loss of vision.
The testing procedure is very non-invasive -- requiring only a photo of the child using a sophisticated camera that aligns and captures the image automatically. This specialized devise (although easy to operate) is capable of detecting a number of eye defect conditions such as; Amblyopia or "lazy eye," which is the most common cause of visual impairment in childhood, can be caused by any condition that affects normal vision development or movement of the eyes such as: strabismus (esotropia where eyes turn in or exotropia where eyes turn out); myopia or nearsightedness; hyperopia or farsightedness; cataracts; astigmatism; anisometropia (refractive errors differ in each eye); anisocoria (pupil sizes are different); coloboma (a gap in part of the structures of the eye); and ptosis (drooping eye lid).
Once an image is captured for analysis -- a hard copy printout is generated. The child’s parent(s) are then notified if there is any need for further intervention by an optometrist.
The club also gives back to the local community in many other ways. Recently a greatly needed defibrillator was donated to the Torrington Fire company by the club. Club members also went on a shopping spree -- purchasing Christmas gifts for kids in need. And, Lions Club members donated food, clothing and personal items to a local shelter to help ease the discomforts of being homeless.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the activities of the Lions Club should visit their website at http://torringtonlionsclub.com. Find out why their motto "We Serve" is so much more then words.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
by ras
by ras
Operation
Overflow is a community program created to shelter the homeless during
the cold winter months. They will be providing a safe and warm
environment for up to twelve people per night starting on Monday,
December 1st and ending in April of 2015. The shelter is open from
9:00 PM to 6:00 AM seven days a week. They will be using three different
churches for the four months. Trinity Episcopal Church on Maiden
Lane. Center Congregational Church on Main Street, and First United
Methodist Church on East Main Street.
The Shelter is currently seeking volunteers. Folks interested in volunteering or making a donation can call Rick Dalla Valleat (860) 309-9685
The Shelter is currently seeking volunteers. Folks interested in volunteering or making a donation can call Rick Dalla Valleat (860) 309-9685