Over 450 students tested by Westfield Lions Club
On Oct. 6 and 9, the Westfield Lions Club, in conjunction with the Zionsville Lions Club, screened third graders at Washington Woods, Carey Ridge, Monon Trail, and Shamrock Springs elementary schools. Over 450 students were able to get their screenings completed, removing a huge burden for the school nurses at those schools.
Each year in Indiana, students in grades 1, 3, 5, and 8 are required to have their vision screened by school nurses. This overwhelming task would take weeks to complete if it wasn’t for the assistance of Lions Clubs.
Lion Jeff Schneider screens a Westfield third grader’s vision. (Photo provided by Westfield Lions Club)
The Lions Club’s dedication to serving those with vision issues goes back to 1925 when Helen Keller challenged Lions Clubs International to be “Knights of the Blind in the crusade against darkness.” That was the beginning of the Lions’ deep and extensive commitment to sight programs aimed at preventable blindness. Over the years this has been expanded to include collecting and recycling used eyeglasses and conducting mission trips to perform eye exams and provide glasses in under-developed areas of the world.
Locally the Lions Clubs of Indiana, including the Westfield Lions Club, work closely with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to raise funds for the school’s operation and assist the students and staff.
Another organization supported by the Indiana Lions is VisionFirst (formerly the Indiana Lions Eye Bank). VisionFirst provides over 2,000 corneas for transplant annually and is the largest eye bank in Indiana. VisionFirst has been helping to eliminate corneal blindness for nearly 50 years. Located in Indianapolis, VisionFirst provides a full range of transplant services as well as research tissue and training consulting services for other medical professionals.
Lions Kathy and Jim Kahler take part in conducting the vision screenings. (Photo provided by Westfield Lions Club)
In the future the Westfield Lions hope to receive approval from Westfield Washington Schools to expand their vision screening services to include all the students who are required to be screened. The Lions have their own screening equipment and perform this service at no charge to the schools.
Each year Lions from Westfield, Zionsville, and Noblesville screen over 15,000 students in central Indiana.
For more information on the Westfield Lions Club and their work in the community, go to WestfieldLions.org.