Every year the Willmar Noon Lions Club provides a variety of volunteer work within the community. Below are some of the ongoing/yearly projects that are undertaken:
"KidSight" Eye Screening Program
Photo shows Willmar Noon Lions Loren Luschen, Rollie Boll, and Donn Winckler doing eye screening at Lakeland Elementary School for Willmar Public Schools for the KidSight Program
The Willmar Noon Lions provide "KidSight" eye screening at the three elementary schools under the Willmar School District. Approximately 1600 children are screened at these three schools annually. In addition, the club does additional eye screenings at other places and events during the year.
Club members are trained to use Welch Allyn Vision Screening System cameras to screen children aged six months or older, but aimed specifically at those children under seven years old. The earlier serious eye problems are detected the better chance of good outcomes for the child. The eye screenings are a quick non-intrusive system that requires no physical contact or eye drops. The screening does not take the place of a professional eye exam but does does prvide a reliable indication if an eye exam is needed. The screening device takes a picture inside the eyes and prints out results. Parents must approve the screening before it is given. The system will screen for: Myopia, Hyperopia, Astigmatism, Anisometropia, Strabismus, and Anisocoria.
Please contact the Club if you are interested in having KidSight eye screenings at your child care center or community event. Lion Donn Winckler is the KidSight Chairperson for the Club. The equipment is owned by the Lions Multiple 5M District KidSight Foundation and six systems are held within LIons 5M4 sub-district that includes the City of Willmar. Overall oversight of the program is provided by the USA Lions KidSight Foundation.
Used Eyeglasses and Hearing Aids Collection Program
The Club collects donated used eyeglasses and hearing aids for use of needy persons in third-world nations. Eyeglasses collected are sent to a Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center where the are cleaned, repaired, and classified by prescription. Each year thousands of used eyeglasses are collected by the Willmar Noon Lions. The Club utilizes a number of eyeglasses and hearing aid drop off locations in Willmar.
Please help the Willmar Noon Lions by donating your used eyeglasses or hearing aids when you get a new prescription. You may drop off your used eyeglasses and hearing aids at the following current locations in the community: Family Eye Care Center, CentaCare Eye Care Center, Shopko Optical, Vision World, America's Best Hearing, Walmart's Optical Department, Peterson Brothers Funeral Home, Willmar Community Center, and the Kandiyohi County Historical Center. The Club thanks these participating businesses and organizations.
Lions Park
Lions Park, located on the west side of Willmar, was largely created by the Willmar Noon Lions back in 1975. Club volunteers cleared the land and planted trees in preparation of the park. In 2015 the City created the City Dog Park within Lions Park. The Club has supported the dog park financially through the purchase of many items for improving users experience at the park. In 2020 club volunteers re-painted the park's picnic shelter, and annually clean the park in the Spring.
The club has utilized the Lions Park for various activities such as club picnics. The club also held a couple of "Run,Walk & Wag" 5K events for families and their dogs. These events were able to showcase the Leader Dog Program as well as bringing attention to the local animal shelter. The events raised funds for park improvements.
Photo shows 2019 Run, Walk, and Wag 5K event
Cub Lions Program
For many years the club has worked with the Willmar Public School District in having senior class students attend club meetings which we call the Cub Lions Program. The attending students each discuss information about themselves, their families, school activities they are involved with, and their future educational plans. They also provide updates on what evets are currently happening at the school. Towards the end of the school year, these Cub Lions all attend a club meeting and are placed in charge of running the meeting. The program allows these students to learn more about community service organizations, hoping it will encourage them to join a club when they begin their professional careers.
Other Assistance
The Willmar Noon Lions have annually assisted the local Salvation Army with bell ringing fund raising. In the recent past this has occured at Cub Foods in Willmar. Most years the club has assisted the Kandiyohi County Fair Board with volunteering to work at the fair gates ticket sales.
Besides annual events, the club has and will continue to participate in other community volunteer activities/events. Examples of such activities include a food drive at Cub Foods in 2021 for the Kandiyohi County Food Shelf, previously sponsoring the school's annual Athletic Awards event, and previously assisting with roadside clean-up along Highway 71 south of Willmar. There are many other past examples of club volunteer work.
The club has purchased items for community improvement such as for city parks and the city library. An example was the purchase of a lion's head drinking fountain for Rice Park in 2019. In 2022 the club gave the Willmar Library a Merlin LCD enhanced vision magnifer to replace the old projector reading machine the club donated previously. The Merlin LCD is used to improve a user's ability to see text and images.
The left photo above shows Luna Coro at the donated lions head water fountain at Rice Park in Willmar. The right photo shows Lions Terry Smith, Jill Augustin, and Donn Winckler showing the donation of the Merlin LCD enhanced vision magnifer at the Willmar Public Library in 2022.
Donation of Equipment to Lions Gift of Sight
In 2021 the club was approched by the Willmar CentraCare's Ophthalmology/Optometry Clinic about them updating some of their equipment. leaving the usable old equipment available. The club accepted the equipment and contacted the Minnesota Lions Gift of Sight about receiving this equipment. They were excited for this opportunity and drove out to Willmar to take ownership of the seven donated apparatuses worth thousands of dollars.
The Minnesota Gift of Sight "has become one of the most respected and innovative eye banks in the world." Through the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation, it is one of two of the 55 eye banks located in the United States that is owned by the states' Lions. Eye donations are used for corneal transplants and for research and medical education. The donated equipment is currently being utilized not only by the Lions Gift of Sight lab, but also the University of Minnesota Ophthalmology Clinic. In addition, one of the donated slit lamp microscopes was given to the East Virginia Eye Bank.
In 2023, Willmar Lions Donn Winckler, Rolf Peterson, Terry Smith and Rick Agman visited the Lions Gift of Sight facilities to see how the donated equipment was being utilized.
