Lions Club

Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, Inc., 1775 Clairmont Road, Decatur, Georgia 3003-4005 Telephone (404) 325-3630  (800) 718-SITE (7483)  Fax (404) 636-5549
President: Jon M. Winters, PDG,  E-mail wint4778@bellsouth.net R: (706) 592-9622.  Executive Director: Christa Lennon. E-mail clennon@ga-lions-lighthouse.org. The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, Inc., provides vision and hearing care to Georgians in financial need.  The Lions Lighthouse serves residents who have no where else to turn for eye exams, eyeglasses, eye surgeries, low vision aids, artificial eyes, and hearing aids.

The Lighthouse's mission is to foster sight conservation and restoration, and hearing conservation, with particular emphasis on youth.  Founded in 1949 as a major service project of the Lions Clubs of Georgia, more than 300 Lions and Lionesses clubs provide financial and volunteer support for the Lions Lighthouse.

The Children's Eye-care Center at Emory University provides vision care for children and infants.  The center is developing new and highly successful therapies for the treatment of pediatric glaucoma and retinopathy of premature to the discovery of a gene defect that causes a certain kind of childhood blindness. These advances are exciting and were made possible, in part, by the generous support of the Lions. View Emory Video 56K  High Speed
For more information about the Children's Eye-care Center, contact the Lighthouse or visit their web site.

Georgia Lions Camp for the Blind, Inc., 5626 Laura Walker Road, Waycross, GA 31503. Telephone (912) 283-4320  (888) 297-1775  Fax (912) 283-5130  E-mail glcblind@accessatc.net  President: Ed Ressler, E-mail eressler@mindspring.com R: (770) 234-0357 B: (770) 732-0130. Camp Director: Kimberly Miller , E-mail glcblind@accessatc.net .  This project of the Lions of Georgia began as a vision of Lion Dr. C. M. Blanton as a means to provide personal growth experiences for children, teens and adults with visual handicaps. The camp provides recreation, education, socialization and rehabilitation programs in a year round setting. The Camp for the Blind was organized in 1976 and is located near the Laura Walker State Park at Okefenokee Swamps near Waycross.

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, 120 Florida Avenue, Athens, Georgia, 30605, Phone: 706-549-1475 Fax: 706-227-6161 E-mail: bpass@rfbd.org Executive Director: Lenora Martin Educational Outreach Coordinator: Bill Pass Lions State Chairman: Mac Lentz, 100 Phoenix Road, Athens, GA 30605 R:706 549-4809; B: 706 542-1373
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, Georgia, a non-profit volunteer organization, serves people who cannot effectively read standard print. Our mission is to promote educational and professional success by converting textbooks and educational materials into accessible formats. Furthermore, we will advocate and make accessible these materials to people in Georgia who will benefit from these services.

Last year, over 2000 Georgia learners-in virtually every county in the state- borrowed over 8000 books on tape from RFB&D's master library in Princeton, NJ. Working entirety with volunteer readers and tape monitors, the Georgia unit produces an average of 150 textbooks each year to add to that master tape library-including five issues of the Lions Magazine.

Educational Outreach is an important aspect of RFB&D Georgia's mission. Statistics show that around 50,000 Georgia students in grades K-12 could benefit from RFB&D if their parents and teachers were more aware of the program. That number will rise as more students are identified as having learning disabilities, including dyslexia. RFB&D Georgia asks the Georgia Lions to help "spread the word" in their home districts and local school systems so more Georgia learners can learn!

The approximate cost to produce one text in taped or electronic format is more than $1,000. Of course, we make these textbooks on tape available at almost no cost to the borrower. RFB&D Georgia is a private, nonprofit, educational support organization. Financial support comes from civic organizations- primarily the Lions Clubs of Georgia; from individual donors, from foundations, and from corporations.

Leader Dogs for the Blind, 1039 South Rochester Road, P. O. Box 5000, Rochester, Michigan 48307, (810) 651-9011  MD18 Representative: Carolyn Irvin, 2234 Morningside Drive, Augusta, GA 30904 R: (706) 733-3521.  Board of Trustees Member: Larry R. Winters, 1 Peachtree Drive #123, Savannah, GA 31419 R: (912) 925-8509
Leader Dogs for the Blind was founded in 1939 by a group of Michigan Lions. Their goal was to train dogs to lead the blind and to provide facilities and means whereby trained dogs could be matched to a blind master. The nonprofit organization is served by a national board of 30 trustees. The training school and executive offices are located in Rochester, Michigan. Over ten thousand blind people have become self-sufficient through the use of a Leader Dog. The dormitory stands as a tribute to the many Lions Clubs who have unselfishly given their time and money to make the Leader Dog School what it is today.

People who are legally blind, 18 years of age or over, in good health, emotionally stable and of good moral character may be eligible for Leader Dog training. Students live under the supervision of competent instructors during a four week training period. Training is perceived as an emotional and physical re-education to a new way of effective living.

Leader Dogs for the Blind® is supported by contributions from the public-Lions, Lioness and Leo Clubs; sororities; various public-supported agencies and private individuals. There is no charge for a Leader Dog® or any part of the four week training program. It costs the school approximately $20,000 for each team.

Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) is the grant-making arm of Lions Clubs International. LCIF receives donations, primarily from Lions worldwide, and in turn, makes grants to support Lions' humanitarian service projects. The foundation's main focus is blindness prevention, but grants are also approved for a wide range of projects that help people who are disadvantaged. Emergency and catastrophe grants make it possible for Lions to be on the scene within hours of a disaster bringing essential relief items. The foundation supports the SightFirst program, which is Lions' global blindness prevention initiative. LCIF's mission is to support the efforts of Lions clubs worldwide in serving their local communities and the world community as they implement humanitarian service projects.

Georgia Lions All State Band was formed in 1997 as a project supported by the Lions of Georgia to provide Outstanding Georgia High School Musicians the opportunity to compete for recognition of their talents and to represent the Lions of Georgia at major Lions Events. The Georgia Lions All-State Band and has performed for the Lions of Georgia at their State Conventions in Macon (1997), Savannah (1998), Athens (1999), Augusta (2000), Jekyll Island (2001), and Athens (2002) to provide stirring musical performances.  The band has traveled In 1999 with the Lions of Georgia to San Diego, California to help President James E "Jim" Ervin into his year as President for Lions International.  In 2000 the band also traveled with the Lions of Georgia to perform in the Lions International Convention in Honolulu, HA.  Last year the band traveled to the International Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. They have provided jazz music for the Georgia Jamborees, marched and performed in the Lions International Parade and provided their concert performance before the Lions International Plenary Session before Lion delegates from around the world. Everyone involved with the band had positive responses to the level of talent that had been accumulated.  From the musician students to the directors / clinicians to the Lions present at the conventions - everyone had an enjoyable and unforgettable experience.