PRVIOUS PROJECTS
Camp Lions
Our club helped sponsor a camper to Camp Lions each year. We believed in the wonderful program that brings so much fun and adventure to handicapped children.
Candy Day
Like other clubs in our area, we worked on street corners raising money for Lions of Illinois Foundation and our local club through candy sales. It was an opportunity for us to interact with the community while raising money for worthwhile projects. Candy Day was usually held the second Friday in October.
Diabetic Retinopathy Screening
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of new blindness in American adults. It can have devastating visual consequences and can lead to blindness. The Lions of Illinois Foundation provides the screening equipped with a photographer and a non-mydriatic camera (a type of eye camera). This special camera takes photographs of the back of a person's eye. These photographs are then forwarded to Illinois Retina Associates for review by one of its retinal specialists. These specialists have advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy and will look for abnomalities. Results are returned by mail. For more information call: 1-800-955-5466.
Handicapped Fishing Derby
We helped serve 500 handicapped youth and adults at the annual Handicapped Fishing Derby held at Shabbona State Park in July. The clubs of the Southwest Region, district 1-J work together to make the event a success. Activities include fishing, pontoon boat rides, games, canoeing, petting zoo, tram rides, clowns, and a picnic lunch. click here for map to park
"NIU Cares Day"
The annual "NIU Cares Day involves nearly 1000 NIU students working together to make the community a better place. We provided a work site for students, where they distributed information about diabetes awareness, and also collected used eyeglasses.
NIRIS (Northern Illinois Radio Information Service)
Broadcast by Northern Illinois University Public Radio, NIRIS presents news and information to visually impaired persons in northern Illinois through special radio receivers provided free of charge. The DeKalb Noon Lions Club made annual contributions to support this vital service. We made a large contribution to purchase vital computer broadcast equipment.
Northern Illinois University Visual Disabilities Program
We were a supporter of Northern Illinois University’s visual disabilities program, which is on top of new technology that benefits people who are blind or visually impaired. We provided grant money for the purchase of a Pac-Mate, a compact, portable computer designed for users with visual impairments that worked with most off-the-shelf software made for sighted people.
Northern Illinois University Wellness Fair
We supported the Northern Illinois University Wellness Fair by providing a booth to distribute information about Lions International and local club projects. We also provided information on Diabetes Awareness and collect used eyeglasses.
Sight and Sound Sweepstakes
We sold Sight and Sound Sweepstakes, which benefitted the Lions of Illinois Foundation and the many worthy projects they supported.
Sight First II
SightFirst is a worldwide campaign fighting world blindness, but the growth and aging of the world's population pose new challenges. Changing patterns of eye disease, barely discernable when SightFirst began, have become serious threats to sight all across the world. SightFirst II is our new campaign.
The DeKalb Noon Lions club worked to do their part to assist in raising money for the SightFirst II Campaign.
Cataracts remain the world's leading cause of blindness. More children than ever before suffer from blindness or low vision. River blindness and trachoma can be controlled, but increased global awareness and funding are required. Diabetes and glaucoma destroy the vision of millions who may not know they are at risk.
The SightFirst approach is a three-part strategy to halt and roll-back this onslaught. The goals of Campaign SightFirst II reflect this plan.
Goal 1 - US$100 million to contain and eliminate the leading causes of avoidable blindness.
Goal 2 - US$50 million to combat emerging threats to sight.
Goal 3 - US$50 million for research, rehabilitation and reaching-out to vulnerable populations.
Ski for Sight
This is a program for people who are visually impaired. Our club teamed up with other clubs in the Southwest Region of Section 1-J to host a welcome wine and cheese party, followed by snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and bowling. Shabbona State Park is the site of the outdoor activities, DeKalb/Sycamore is the sight of the indoor activities. Our club assisted visually impaired bowlers at Four Seasons Sports in Sycamore.
Someone Special
DeKalb Noon Lions donated money for a family to attend "Someone Special", an event sponsored by the Oakbrook Terrace Lions Club. The Someone Special program takes place at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. Hundreds of children with multiple disabilities and their families attend at no cost. About 600 guests are treated to lunch and the play Charlotte’s Web. This was an opportunity for disabled children and their families from throughout the Chicago and suburban area to have a fun day out.
SVOSH Student Volunteers in Optometric Service to Humanity
We were proud to support Student Volunteers for Optometric Service to Humanity (SVOSH), an organization that helped provide eye care and eyewear to developing nations. SVOSH held weekly meetings at which volunteers sorted and packaged used eyeglasses donated by the Lions Club and other organizations. Donations also fund airfare and living expenses for students going on trips to underprivileged countries to conduct free eye exams. SVOSH students and doctors have made trips to Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela.
Tootsie Pop Day
On Tootsie Pop Day we worked street corners raising money for Lions of Illinois Foundation and our local club through tootsie pop sales. It was an opportunity for us to raise money for worthwhile projects. Tootsie Pop Day usually took place on the first Friday in May.
Waterman Summerfest
Another fundraising effort was through the cooperation of Waterman Lions Club at Waterman Summerfest. We provided a french toast breakfast. It was a delicious way to support important work in the community through the DeKalb Noon Lions Club and Waterman Lions Club. It was also a wonderful way to celebrate a beautiful summer weekend.
