Vision Screening in Southeast Alaska

Our Lion year runs July 1 through June 30.  We start the year running, lining up schools, home schools, and pre-schools to offer free vision screening to children.

When we screen a child's eye, we let the PlusOptix screener do the work.  We aren't medical professionals and don't diagnose.  But the computer will identify any abnormalities in a child's eye and give a report of REFER if it found something wrong.

So far this year, the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions have screened at the following locations in Juneau and Southeast Alaska:

• Auke Bay Elementary School (preschoolers):  screened 107 children with 7 referrals
• Infant and Baby Fair:  screened 37 infants and toddlers with 4 referrals
• Faith Community Christian School:  screened 53 children with 14 referrals
• Gastineau Elementary School:  screened 120 preschool, kindergarten, first graders, and miscellaneous other children that had questionable eyesight with 19 referrals
• Glacier Valley Elementary School:  screened 213 children with 42 referrals
• Haines Elementary School, Haines, Alaska:  Screened 137 children with 9 referrals
• Harborview Elementary:  screened 121 preschool to kindergarten with 23 referrals
• Harborview Montesorri:   screened 51 preschool and 1st graders with 3 referrals
• Head Start Faith Lutheran:  screened 37 with 2 referrals
• Head Start Pioneers Home:  screened 15 with 4 referrals
• Head Start Mendenhall School:  screened 15 with 3 referrals
• Juneau Community Charter School:  screened 79 with 14 referrals
• Juneau Co-Op Preschool:  screened 37 with 1 referral
• Raven Home School:  screened 9 with 2 referrals
• Riverbend Elementary:  screened 260 children with 53 referrals
• KEET Elementary, Sitka, Alaska:  screened 354 children with 27 referrals
• Valley Baptist Academy:  screened 79 with 7 referrals
• Wrangell Elementary:  screened 73 children with 17 referrals

Total screened and referred the first half of the Lion year:  1,797 with 251 referrals.

Submitted by Lion Nancy Norton
Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions

#Lions100 Sharing the Vision

Vision Screening Update

I received an email from LCI last week with some stats about our Centennial Service Challenge for vision screening that I would like to share with you.  LCI’s goal was to serve 25 million people through vision screening efforts.  We are at the half-way point and have reported 12 million served. This is a reminder to report your vision screening efforts on MyLCI as this is LCI’s only way to know what we’re doing and if we’re on track helping the people we need to help. 

Here’s some tips: 

1. Screenings:  When Lions conduct screening activities, it is important to report the total number of people screened because everyone benefitted in some way, even if a referral was not necessary.  For example, if 100 people were screened, all 100 should be reported.
2. Lions Clinics and Foundations:  Lions clinics and foundations offer vital eye care services on an ongoing basis.  Remember to report the number served each month.  For example:  A large clinic that serves 3,000 people in the month of March, should report all 3,000 people. 
3. LCIF Funded Projects:  When Lions receive LCIF funding to implement sight-related projects, the number of people served each month through these projects should also be reported in MyLCI.  In addition, Lions should continue to submit their detailed progress reports to LCIF staff.  When your Club donates to LCIF, be sure to make a note in the Service Activity that you’re supporting vision screening. 

I know there are Clubs that do not enter their service activities into MyLCI.  Lion Presidents, please remind your secretary to do this on a regular basis.  If we’re to meet our goal of serving 100 million people, we need every, single service activity entered into MyLCI.   #Lions100

Lion Nancy Norton

49A Centennial Coordinator

Centennial Activities for MD49A: December 2015

Lions were busy in December!  The list below was taken from MyLCI and shows those activities clubs have identified as being a signature activity.  It's important that Clubs input their service activities, especially the four Centennial Challenge activities so your hard work can be recognized!  Thank you for all you do!

Relieving the Hunger Campaign

• Copper River Basin:  Donated and distributed 30 Holiday food baskets to the needy over Christmas.
• Eagle River Sleeping Lady Mountain:  Donated to the Elks to help purchase food for Christmas baskets; helped cook, serve, and clean up for annual Community Christmas dinner.
• Girdwood Turnagain Arm:  Sorted donated food and made food baskets for 15 needy families.  
• Palmer:  Food collection; prepared/sponsored 20 food baskets for the needy. 
• Willow:  Distributed food, clothing, and toys for Christmas.

Engaging our Youth Campaign

• Copper River Basin:  Christmas gifts for disadvantaged children; donated to the wrestling team.
• Palmer:  Toy collection; worked at wrestling tournament.
• Mt. View:  Food collection to feed children on weekend.
• Spenard:  Photo screened children.
• Sutton:  Youth snow-x race.

Sharing the Vision Campaign

• Palmer:  Vision screening.

Protecting Our Environment

• Palmer:  Recycling
• Soldotna:  Eyeglass collection since August to December has sent 9 boxes of recycled glasses to the North Pole.

#Lions100

WRapping Party (Sharing the Vision)

I spared you all....

I was going to write a Rapping song.... you know.... wrapping.... rapping....  

Zone Chair Edward Hotch at our service!

But the tune was only in MY head so I thought it best to just TELL you about our fantastic wrapping party today!

Lions Mike Norton, Janice and Eward Hotch, Ted Burke, Soapy Lingle and Donna Hurley

Eyeglass wrapping party that is!  This is what 1,466 pair eyeglasses and cases look like!  

Lions William Andrews, Ted Burke, Soapy Lingle, Donna Hurley, Sasha Soboleff, Mike Norton, Janice and Edward Hotch

Members from the two Juneau Lions Clubs, which comprise the Joint Sight Committee, gathered fairly early this morning for a special breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and eggs, prepared and served by our Zone Chair Lion Edward Hotch.  What a great way to Serve!

We had been accumulating eyeglasses since about April and it was time to send them on their way!

Later this week they will be put on a barge to be shipped to their destination:  the Aurora Borealis Eyeglass Recycle Center in North Pole, Alaska.  

Once there, they will be sorted, cleaned, repaired, and categorized for re-distribution around the world.  Some might even be returned to our community to someone in need.  

The Joint Sight Committee has eyeglass collection boxes at all eyecare centers in Juneau.  We also collect from other locations around town, like the Moose Lodge, Gastineau School, and Surplus Property.  

We also have an annual Recycle for Sight collection drive in October where members of the community are invited to bring their unwanted eyeglasses for deposit.  We take single lens, bifocals, trifocals, reading glasses, sunglasses, etc.  We also collect lenses that are out of the frames as well as eyeglass cases.

Lion Ted Burke

If your place of business would like an eyeglass recycle box or have eyeglasses to donate, contact any member of either the Juneau Lions Club or the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club.

And finally..... 1,466 pair of eyeglasses/cases.... 15 boxes packed and ready to ship.... 9 Lions....  

Lions Edward and Janice Hotch, William Andrews, Sasha Soboleff, Ted Burke, Donna Hurley, Soapy Lingle, Mike Norton

A huge thank you to Lions William Andrews, Donna Hurley, Soapy Lingle, Ted Burke, Edward and Janice Hotch, Sasha Soboleff, Mike and Nancy Norton for their service today.

This story submitted by the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club
#Lions100

Recycle for Sight Drive 2015 (Sharing the Vision)

The Capital Area Lions Joint Sight Conservation Committee.... more commonly known and referred to as the Joint Sight Committee.... had their annual Recycle For Sight drive on Saturday, October 10, at the Nugget Mall.

We have eyeglass collection boxes set up in every eyecare center in Juneau but this is a time when we ask people to really search through their dressers, desks, glove boxes, drawers, purses, etc., and bring all their unused and unwanted eyeglasses to be recycled.

After all, they aren't doing anyone any good stuffed in a drawer somewhere when they can do so much good elsewhere.

For you see, after we collect all your unwanted eyeglasses, they are shipped to the Aurora Borealis Eyeglass Recycle Center in the North Pole.  This is a Lion-run project where they sort by type of eyeglass (i.e., prescription, single lens, double, triple lens, sunglasses, readers, etc.), clean, repair, categorize, AND ship approximately 40,000 pair of eyeglasses to Alaskans and others in need world wide.

So next time you get ready to throw an old pair of eyeglasses away because they are outdated, take them to any eyecare center in Juneau for recycling.  Or wait until our annual collection drive in October of each year.

By the way, this year we collected 245 pair of eyeglasses!  Thank you, Juneau!

This year we also took our PlusOptix vision screener to have available should anyone want their eyes screened.  We screened 7 with no referrals.  Not bad.

For more information on this program, contact Mike Norton, Chair, at mikennancy@gci.net.

Thank you for helping make this drive a success!

This story submitted by the Juneau Mendenhall Flying Lions Club.
#Lions100