Greetings from the Conroe Noon Lions Club (CNLC), the “Greatest Lions Club in the World.” There are a lot of reason why CNLC calls themselves the “Greatest Lions Club in the World”: its size (we have over 300 members), its service to the community including scholarships, monthly service projects, support of Texas Lions Camp, Christmas baskets, Kids on the Lake (a fishing tournament for kids with disabilities), blood drives supporting the Gulf Coast area, support of a local hometown military hero, its sight conservation program (CNLC has an eyeglass recycling center, a manufacturing lab and provides vision programs for the less fortunate), and the list goes on. In addition to the programs just listed, CNLC supports Benevolent Missions International (BMI), a 50-year-old, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing needed ophthalmic (eye) care to the underserved in areas around the world. Our CNLC eyeglass recycling center sends re-purposed glasses to BMI for distribution during these vision mission trips which include Belize and Fiji.
As second vice president for Conroe Noon, I had to opportunity, this month, along with other Lions, doctors, nurses, scrub techs and lay personnel from around the United States, to join BMI on their mission trip to Corozal, Belize. Over a four-day period, the volunteer team saw approximately 500 individuals from the Corozal community in the clinic for routine eye screenings and exams. Another 120 individuals received needed cataract or pterygium surgeries. Many individuals receiving the surgeries went from being totally blind, to seeing 20/20 in the affected eye. Almost 350 individuals needed glasses and left the clinic with a pair of glasses that allowed them to see again.
My task was to dispense glasses from the Optical Shop. Corozal residents would arrive at the clinic where they would wait outside until their appointment time. Inside the clinic, they were checked in and routed through intake, drops in eyes, vision and glaucoma screenings and finally an examination by a doctor. If surgery was needed, the patient was directed to a station where they were either scheduled for surgery or put on the schedule for the next mission trip. However, if those individuals needed glasses, they were directed to the Optical Shop where I was working.
I would take the patient file and review the prescription recommendation from the doctor. Then I would locate the glasses that most closely matched the prescription and dispense them to the patient. I, along with one other volunteer, dispensed almost 350 pairs of glasses and just under 250 pair of sunglasses. In many cases, the individual had lived their whole life with vision issues. I was blessed to be with them when they saw clearly for the first time in two or three decades. Thank you to CNLC for allowing me the blessing and privilege of serving the citizens of Corozal.
Now on to club announcements: Mark your calendars for Wednesday, January 29th from 10 am to 4 pm when CNLC host our Winter Blood Drive at the Lone Star Convention Center. The theme for this drive is “Giving Warms the Heart.” To donate, you MUST sign up AND, you DO NOT need to be a Lion to participate; invite a friend or co-worker to donate as well. Go to www.commitforlife.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/390770 to sign up or contact our Club office.
CNLC will be at Reaves Elementary on Friday, January 31st to help reward students for their perfect attendance by handing out treats. Lion volunteers are needed to make a kids day, check the sign up in your Weekly Lion Up or contact our Club office.
And don’t forget our annual Legend of the Lion – Dinner Dance & Auction is coming up on Thursday, February 13th. So mark your calendars! We need lots of auction items; if you are inclined to donate, please contact our Club office.
If you would like more information about the Conroe Noon Lion’s Club programs, please visit our website, www.conroenoonlions.org, or call the Club office at 936-760-1666. We meet at the Lone Star Convention Center every Wednesday at noon. You may also call for additional information on any area Lions Club.