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2007-2008
Officers & Directors of the Kent
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A Kent Lions sponsored Eyeglass Distribution to Honduras The Kent Lions helped send Dr. Cheryl Croft, a Kent Lions Member, to
Honduras in 2002 to help with eye exams and eyeglass distribution. Below is a short
article of her trip. March 23 - April 1 2002 trip with VOSH Oregon (Volunteer Optometrists serving humanity) & Amigos eyecare (based out of Pacific University College of Optometry) with concurrent study funding by Northwest Medical Teams and glasses provided by Lions clubs throughout the northwest. My trip was funded by the Kent Lions club. Clinics set up in 2 villages (San Marcos & El Recreo) on the outskirts of the Parque Nacional Pico Bonito in northern Honduras. These villages are on the headwaters of the Cuero river and the local Honduran park federation (FUPNAPIB) is interested in helping these poverty stricken squatters with healthcare (among other things!) so they can become self sufficient rather than depleting protected rainforest regions to survive. 2 dentists & assistants were on the trip. Because of the poor diet and lack of dental hygiene in the region, the dentists pulled out 600 aching infected teeth during the trip. Everyone got a toothbrush. The one medical doctor on the trip had his hands full educating the people about their high blood pressure from high salt intake, basic wound care, and prenatal/birthing care. STD's were rampant. Thanks to a generous gift from the Kent Lions Club, money was donated to purchase oral worm medication for parents who could not afford to treat their children. The remaining 10 of us on the trip, Optometrists & students of Optometry, completed 1400 eye exams. We checked vision, eye health, dispensed medication where necessary, and gave out 917 pairs of prescription glasses. Previously, without access to even magnifiers, literate patients simply had to give up reading as they aged. Younger patients with significant refractive errors had no chance of ever learning to read. Constant sun and wind exposure led to premature cataracts and pterygiums (white growth that can eventually cover the pupil). Education, lubricating remedies, and the approximately 800 pairs of sunglasses we gave out should help. One of the dentists wives had also started a collection in Bend, OR which resulted in several boxes full of baby clothes & toys that were given out to the grateful young mothers. Cheryl
Dr. Croft with young lad after eyeglass fitting.
Dr. Croft with lots of young people with their new eyeglasses.
Dr. Croft after administrating eyedrops into a patient. For more infomation on VOSH
For nearly 70 years, individual Lions clubs and districts in the U.S., Canada and several other developed countries have collected old, unwanted eyeglasses for re-distribution to the poor in developing nations. To increase public awareness for this service initiative, thousands of Lions throughout North America sponsored the first-ever Lions Recycle For Sight Month in May 1996. Thanks in-part to continuous nationwide publicity in the U.S., the program has been very successful. The Lions Eyeglasses Recycling Program was adopted as an official service activity of Lions Clubs International in October 1994. However, Lions have been recycling eyeglasses for over 70 years. The goal of the program is to meet the demand for quality eyeglasses in developing nations. Currently, it costs less than 8 cents to provide someone with eyeglasses. There are ten official Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers in the world (six in the U.S., one each in Spain, France, Republic of South Africa and Queensland, Australia). Lions volunteer their time and services to prepare the eyeglasses for distribution cleaning and categorizing each pair by prescription. Missions sponsored by Lions clubs and other groups distribute the donated eye wear in developing nations. In addition, programs have been established to train prisoners to prepare donated eyeglasses. These individuals are provided an opportunity to learn skills for use when released and the satisfaction of knowing they are helping others. The Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers also instruct Lions how to properly dispense the eyeglasses. When training is completed, the recycling centers continue to provide eyeglasses to the local Lions responsible for managing their respective programs. All types of eyeglasses and sunglasses, prescription and non-prescription, are acceptable. Exceptionally strong or weak prescriptions are needed. Reading glasses are very useful because many recipients are craftsman in need of visual correction to help them perform close-up tasks. Sunglasses are needed by people living near the equator, especially those with cataract, to shield their eyes from the sun's damaging rays. In fiscal year 2000-01, the Lion Eyeglass Recycling Centers reported a collection of approximately 5 million pairs of eyeglasses, distributing to more than 2.5 million people in developing nations. Recycled eyeglasses are typically distributed outside of the United States due to legal constraints concerning the dispersal of prescriptive devices.
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