Edward L. Lieberman, Esq.

District Governor 20-K2

               2010-2011                     

HOME

Upcoming

Events

District

Officers

Contact

Us

Lions, Leaders to Take Part in Special Olympics World Winter Games, Opening Eyes

Special Olympics Lions Club to be Chartered

OAK BROOK, Illinois, USA, February 3—Albert Brandel, president of Lions Clubs International, will launch the Special Olympics - Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes screening and take part in the Special Olympics World Games in Boise, Idaho. Leaders from government, academia, health care, disability, business, philanthropy and sport will gather for the Games. He will also charter the World Special Olympics Lions Club in Boise, one of several Special Olympics special interest Lions clubs in the U.S.

The 2009 Special Olympics World Games will run February 7-13. Almost 2,500 athletes from more than 100 countries, hundreds of volunteers and event officials and thousands of families, spectators and journalists from every continent will be involved in the games. Special Olympics athletes of all ability levels will compete in seven different competitive and demonstration sports. An opening ceremony on February 6 will officially launch the games, and the Lions president will attend the kick-off event, which will include the Parade of Athletes, the culmination of the Final Leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run and lighting of the Special Olympics cauldron.

President Brandel will also help launch the Healthy Athletes screenings during a ribbon cutting ceremony on February 8. The Healthy Athletes program has seven components, which provide athletes with a variety of health screenings and diagnostics. The Special Olympics-Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes program, the vision screening component of the Healthy Athletes program, is an ambitious initiative funded by LCIF through a Core 4 grant.

The partnership program began in 2001, and LCIF has given more than US$10 million in grant funding. Opening Eyes vision screenings take place at select Special Olympics sporting events worldwide. The two organizations are dedicated to serving those in need; the combined efforts help a population whose needs are often overlooked. Lions volunteers play an integral part in the success of the program through hands-on event support. Lions volunteers help with registration, color vision testing, visual acuity tests and distribution of glasses and protective sports goggles for athletes. Through the partnership, more than 100,000 Special Olympics athletes have had their vision tested and more than 10,000 Lions have participated in the screenings.

More than 40 Lions Clubs members in Multiple District 39 will be volunteering at the Opening Eyes screening during the games. Opening Eyes provides Lions in Idaho, as well as around the world, with visible volunteer type opportunities.

In July 2007, Dr. Timothy Shriver addressed the 15,000 Lions in attendance at the Lions Clubs International Convention in Chicago. Shriver was presented with the 2007 Lions Humanitarian Award, the highest accolade bestowed by the organization. He said, “Thousands of Special Olympics athletes' lives have been transformed through the Opening Eyes program. Together with Lions Clubs International, we are showing how a strong social partnership makes a sustainable impact on the global, underserved intellectual disability population.”

Lions Clubs International Foundation provides grant funding to Lions districts for large-scale humanitarian projects too extensive for Lions to finance on their own. LCIF is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International, the largest service club organization in the world with 1.3 million members in 205 geographic areas and countries. The Foundation aids Lions in making a greater impact in their local communities, as well as around the world. LCIF was recently ranked the number one NGO in a Financial Times study. Through LCIF, Lions ease pain and suffering and bring healing and hope to people worldwide. For more information, visit www.lcif.org.