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Opening Eyes |
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Opening Eyes |
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| WHAT IS OPENING EYES? |
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The Special Olympics-Lions Club International Opening Eyes Program is an ambitious three-year initiative funded by Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) through a US$3.28 million Core 4 grant. The partnership is based on the belief that two organizations dedicated to serving those in need can combine their efforts to help a community whose needs are so often overlooked. Special Olympics is an international program of year-round athletic competition for children and adults with mental retardation. LCIF has been at the forefront of protecting sight and preventing blindness worldwide for over three decades. |
| OPENING EYES SERVICES |
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Opening Eyes vision screenings take place at select Special Olympics sporting events worldwide. At events, volunteer Lions help with registration, color vision testing, visual acuity tests and distribution of glasses and protective sports goggles for athletes. Opening Eyes provides diagnosis for vision related problems as well as corrective and protective eyewear all free of charge. The athletes receive a certificate detailing their vision needs and follow-up referrals to health care providers in their home areas, if needed. Athletes are also taught how to take care of their eyes. Opening Eyes beginnings can be traced back to 1991. Optometrist volunteers discovered that about one third of all athletes screened needed glasses and that 66 percent had not had an eye exam within the previous three years. |
| EYES ON THE FUTURE |
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| In the years ahead, Opening Eyes will continue to touch the lives of these special athletes. The program is projected to grow to 47 sites in 2002 and even more by 2003. Lions everywhere are encouraged to join in this partnership by volunteering and sharing in our vision to success. We encourage you to visit the website for the program at www.lcif-openingeyes.org. |
| OPENING EYES IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY |
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| The Lions Club International and Special Olympics-Westmoreland County will provide the Opening Eyes screenings at the Track and Field Meet at Latrobe Stadium on May 17, 2003. All athletes registered with Special Olympics-Westmoreland County are encouraged to take advantage of the screenings, and participation in the track and field meet is not a pre-requisite. Screenings will begin at 10:00 and continue through-out the day. All services are provided free of charge to all registered athletes. |
| HOW THIS HAPPENS |
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| The local Lions Club provides volunteer support helping in all non-technical aspects of screenings such as registration, near and far visual acuity testing, color vision testing, distribution of glasses and protective sports goggles. The Lions Club International Foundation provides all eyewear materials including lenses and frames as well as vision specialists. |
| Special Olympics-Westmoreland County provides, through the Opening Eyes Grant, all logistical support including location set-up, volunteer t-shirts and partnership pins. |
| Because both organizations utilize volunteers, all grant money provided by LCIF to Special Olympics-Westmoreland County is used for providing services to the athletes. |
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For more information about Opening Eyes, contact Special Olympics-Westmoreland County at info@westspol.org. |