In 1925, Helen Keller challenged the Lions Club to become the “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” This began the century-long mission to assist those in need of vision services – impacting millions of lives through our vision services.
HSV Evening Lions support sight programs and services including preschool vision screenings, eye banks, eyeglass recycling, and vision screening assistance programs. We assist in providing eye care services to those at risk of losing their sight through our MidSouth Lions Cataract-a-thon.
- Preschool Screening Program– In partnership with the HSV Breakfast Lions, our HSV Evening Lions Club travels throughout 5 counties to provide Preschool Screening services to daycares and preschools in Saline, Garland, Hot Springs, and other surrounding counties. The screening process is fast and painless, simply a quick photo with a specialized camera to evaluate eyes. Catching vision problems at an early age can prevent future vision issues, even blindness! HSV Evening Lions is proud to support this program.
- Arkansas Eye Bank –an eye bank is a non-profit organization that obtains, medically evaluates, and distributes eyes donated by caring individuals for use in corneal transplantation, research, and education. U.S. eye banks provide tissue for an average of nearly 85,000 corneal transplants a year.
- MidSouth Lions Cataract-a-thon – Lions assist those in need of vision restorative surgery through our MidSouth Lions. The MidSouth Lions host a cataract-a-thon each year, providing vision-saving surgery to those in need. For more information: https://www.midsouthlions.org/services/how-to-receive-service/
- Vision Assistance Program – Each year, the HSV Evening Lions assist community members in need of eye exams and eyeglasses with a financial assistance program. Applicants must meet poverty guidelines to be eligible for this program. Please click here to contact your local Lions Club for more information and an application.
- Eyeglass and Hearing Aid Recycling program – Lions collect used eyeglasses in their communities to support the Lions Recycle for Sight Program. The Hot Springs Village Evening Lions Club is no exception and our Village Community has been a rich source for these corrective lenses which are shipped to the needy in third world countries. The Evening Lions collect and donate approximately 2000 pairs of used eyeglasses a year. Our eyeglasses are shared with Bubba Smith, a local pastor who participates in a program called Promise for Haiti. A relatively new initiative is collecting hearing aids for remapping and distribution through our Lions International Hearing Aid recycling program.We appreciate your generosity in sharing obsolete glasses and hearing aids. We maintain two large collection boxes located on Desoto Blvd in from of the POA and on Balearic Road in front of the Catholic Church. Several smaller collection boxes are found in local churches and businesses in the Village and surrounding community. Click here for detailed locations.
6. Hearing Aid Assistance Program
The Lions provide help in obtaining hearing aids through Mid-South Lions Sight and Hearing Services located in Memphis, TN. To qualify the patient must meet the government’s indigent requirements. Press here to obtain detailed instructions.