Operation KidSight Highlights

What is it? It is a concerted effort by the members of Lions Clubs throughout Tennessee to fund an eye clinic at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Experts report that had this clinic been in place years ago, 80% of the young people attending the Tennessee School For The Blind would not be sight impaired, and would be attending school in their own communities as sighted students. That's an impressive goal.

What does it mean? The Lions Clubs in Tennessee are pledged to raise $4,000,000 in cash within a five-year period. At the same time, each Lions Club is striving to provide its traditional support to all the services and programs they have traditionally supported.

Are Lions Clubs outside the state helping? Very much so. Lions Clubs International is providing $75,000 grants to five Tennessee districts to help with specific Operation KidSight needs. The Directors of Lions Clubs International view this project in Tennessee as an example for Lions Clubs throughout the world to follow.

How are Tennessee Lions Clubs serving? The Lions Clubs are working with the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital not only to raise the funds which will help equip the state-of-the-art facility, but will also cooperate in outreach programs aimed at families with infants and young children at risk of blindness in urban and rural communities. To raise the pledged funds, each local Lions Club will focus on special projects which might include a pancake breakfast, a fishing tournament, or even a direct mail fund raising solicitation program.

Pictured is the Tennessee Lions Eye Center for Children at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital

Lionism in Tennessee will never be the same. KidSight has already made its mark by achieving more that the necessary funds and produced lasting benefits for both Tennessee Lions Clubs and our communities..

Most importantly, thousands of children in our neighborhoods will avoid a lifetime of visual impairment, because the Lions of Tennessee cared enough to accept the challenge to make it happen!

KIDSIGHT OUTREACH APPROACHING 100,000 PHOTO SCREENINGS

Totals may vary from previously released numbers due to computer glicks, late return of photos & forms to Outreach, etc., however, the above numbers are accurate.

Thanks to your support you have provided an opportunity to 5000 young children to improve the quality of life and self-esteem thereby strengthening the educational potential.

The above numbers as listed are through Sept 2003, and the total number of children have now exceeded 110,000.

OPERATION KIDSIGHT

Our Tennessee Lions Eye Center at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital has been completed, equipped and staffed exclusively for diagnosis and treatment of children with eye diseases. TLC services an average of 700 visits per month, and those children are from Tennessee and other parts of the world.

TLC serves as a model to the world. Eye health care professionals from Puerto Rico, Australia, China, Taiwan, Portugal, and Canada along with 18 U.S. states have been trained or inquired about future training in this unique treatment center and outreach photo screening program.

All this has been made possible because of the hard work of Lions and the generous financial support from Lions and communities throughout the state.

The "QUARTERLY", issued by The Tennessee Lions Eye Center and mailed to each Lion throughout Tennessee provides updates and examples of the outstanding results at our TLEC. The latest issue, Summer 2001, also details a listing of expenditures by Tennessee Lions Charities, Inc., to the Tennessee Lions Eye Center.

CONCLUSION

We did not anticipate in the beginning that the Outreach Program would become the keystone that binds our clubs together in serving the children of our communities, and we did not anticipate the total cost of the program. However, with over 70,000 babies born in Tennessee each year, the need continues. Therefore, we must continue to expand our screening program in order to save thousands of our children from a life of vision impairment.

There is a continuing need for Lions Clubs to support Operation KidSight and to actively participate in the Outreach Program. In addition to meeting the original pledge commitments, we hope that individual Lions and Clubs will continue to support Tennessee Lions Charities with additional funding.