WHITE CANE CANDY SALE

Many clubs participate in “White Cane Safety Day” on the first weekend of May and October each year.  On White Cane Safety Day, Lions collect money for local, regional, national, and international sight conservation projects.  When you see Lions members distributing Lion candy in your community, please consider the many sight conservation projects you support when you donate such as Youth Eye Screening, the purchase of glasses, the Lion’s Eye Foundation, etc.

The white cane is not just a tool that can be used to achieve independence; it is also a symbol of the blind citizens in our society. To honor the many achievements of blind and visually impaired Americans and to recognize the white cane’s significance in advancing independence, we observe the first weekend in October of each year (alternately, the Saturday prior) as “White Cane Safety Day.” Today, the white cane works both, as a tool for the blind as well as a symbol, but this has not always been the case. Throughout history, the cane, staff, and stick have existed as traveling aids for the blind and visually impaired. Dating back to biblical times records show that a shepherd’s staff was used as a tool for solitary travel. The blind used such tools to alert them to obstacles in their path.