Lions Journey for Sight report

Submitted

Neepawa Lions club

The Lions Journey for Sight is a provincial fundraising event. All of the 50+ Lions Clubs in Manitoba participate with the Birtle Lions Club, which acts as the host committee for the annual snowmobile fundraising events. In addition to the many snowmobile riders who choose one of several established routes, the host Lions Club also conducts a raffle with a brand new snowmobile as a grand prize. Raffle tickets are distributed to all Lions Clubs for sales in their local communities. All monies collected from the riders’ pledges, donations, raffle and contributions from several sponsors are sent to the Lions Eye Bank. This annual event started in 1986.

The Neepawa Lions Club acts as one of the host clubs for the snowmobile riders, whose ride route begins in Flin Flon, through Swan River, Dauphin, Strathclair, Minnedosa, Neepawa, Carberry and ending in Brandon. After leaving Strathclair on the morning of Jan. 21, the riders arrived in Neepawa for a short break, refuelling of their machines and a lunch at the Neepawa Dairy Queen. While in Neepawa, a number of donations were made to the riders. The Prairie Mountain Snowdrifters Club donated $200.

The Neepawa Gladstone Co-op donated a fuel credit voucher of $250 to the riders who use their snowmobiles for the ride and an additional donation of $250 to the Lions Eye Bank Foundation. A $50 donation in memory of Lion Arthur Harris was presented by his widow, Dorothy Smith Harris. The Neepawa Lions Club received 10 raffle books from the committee and Snowdrifters member Roy Globak sold all the tickets, which resulted in a $500 contribution to the event. The Neepawa Lions Club set up a donation box at the Dairy Queen and received another $161.85 in donations from DQ customers. The Lions Club donated $200.

The Neepawa Dairy Queen has been involved as a lunch host for the riders for a number of years and, in recent years, had split the meal costs with the Neepawa Lions Club. For the 2023 event, manager Pam Brown decided, with the restaurant management and staff, to donate the entire bill for lunch meals to the Lions Journey for Sight.

In addition to this Lions fundraising event, the Neepawa Lions Club has set up five collection boxes for used eye glasses: Valley Optical, Murrays Optical, Neepawa Pharmacy, Harris Pharmacy and the Neepawa United Church. Approximately 600 to 700 pairs of glasses are collected annually. The glasses are taken to Manitoba Lions Eye Bank office in Winnipeg. They are then sent to Calgary, where the prescriptions are recorded, glasses are repaired and ready to be distributed by Lions International to Third World countries. The Lions Clubs in these countries sponsor local eye examination clinics, where corrective eye surgeries may be performed and the correct prescription glasses are given free of charge to those in need.

The Lions International Eye Bank Foundation purchases surgical equipment where needed.

In Manitoba, funds from the Lions Eye Bank are also to conduct professional eye examination clinic for pre-school children free of charge to the families. These can be arranged by contacting any Lions Club for information. Some costs for eye surgeries my also be covered by these funds.