November 2012 - Lions Clubs of Iowa

Special Olympics Iowa staff member expresses appreciation to
Lions and shares touching message about a Special Olympian
October 1, 2012
I want to share an e-mail I received with all of you (Iowa Lions) regarding a little guy who benefited from attending
the Opening Eyes screening at Summer Games this year. It brings it all home as to what Opening Eyes is all about.
I can never thank you enough for what you have done for our Special Olympics Iowa athletes over the last 12 years.
Sincerely,
Kathy Irving, Director of Athlete Initiatives, Special Olympics Iowa
Hi,
I have a little guy who went to the state games in Ames last spring. He has a diagnosis of PDD, Autism
Spectrum Disorder. Anyway, he wears pretty thick glasses and Kathy had him get his eyes tested when he
went to Ames. Sure enough, he needed new glasses. She had them sent to school as he attended Daycare
here over the summer. He and his dad stopped in - two weeks to the day - when he thought the glasses may
have arrived. The next day, they came! We called Anthony down to the office as we knew he was eager to
see his new glasses. He put them on his face, stood back, looked at us and in his halting speech said, “You,
you, you guys are so CLEAR!” Needless to say, my secretary and I were both in tears. He was so excited.
And, believe me, the word clear is not one that would have been on his list of “frequently used.”
I’m sure many of the doctors help out, because it’s a good cause and perhaps something they have always
done. I just hope they know what an amazing difference they have made. Anthony now walks with his head
up, proudly looking us in the eye!
I just wanted to share that story with you and let you know that your vision program is a lifesaver for many
families! Thanks for all you do!
Sherri Marceau, Principal, Alan Shepard Elementary School, North Scott Community School District
Davenport Host Lions participating in vision project for homeless
There are many homeless persons in the Quad City
area in need of eye exams and eyeglasses. Davenport
Host Lions Club in cooperation with the Virdi Eye
Clinic is providing free eye exams and prescriptions for
eyeglasses for 52 persons, who signed up for the program.
The examinations were done on October 2 and October 9
at the Davenport office of Virdi Eye Clinic.
Pictured at right below is a patient being
examined by Dr. Stacie Setchell, who is also a
member of the Davenport Host Lions Club. The
examinations included prescriptions for new
glasses, checking eye alignment, evaluating
pupils and peripheral vision, a pressure check to
screen for glaucoma, and a fully dilated exam.
The dilated exam allows checks to be made
for diabetes in the eyes, glaucoma, macular
degeneration, cataracts, and many other eye
diseases. Eyes are also checked for infection or
inflammation.
The Rock Island Evening Lions Club is also
involved in this service project. After the patients
have been examined, those needing eyeglasses
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are given a prescription. The Rock Island Evening Lions
Club, in cooperation with Lenscrafters in Moline,
provided eyeglasses at no charge.
The Davenport Host Lions Club and Rock Island
Evening Lions Club are working together to help make
our communities a better place to live.