Community Service

The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 371 million people worldwide have diabetes, a global epidemic that is expected to affect 552 million by 2030.  With these statistics and concerns in mind, Lions get involved with the Diabetes Awareness and Action Program. Our work supports diabetes awareness, education, control, prevention and research.

Lions have a strong commitment to fight diabetes and diabetic eye disease. Whether they are hosting screenings in their local communities or volunteering at a diabetes recreational camp, they meet the challenge head on in various ways:

Lions work together to enhance existing programs or provide life-saving services where none exist, including: Community education programs Diabetes and vision screenings Provision of medication and supplies for families in need Support of diabetes foundations and recreational camps.

Awareness Program People with diabetes need to stay at a healthy weight and be physically active every day. The Strides Program enables Lions to engage and empower their communities to join together in the fight against diabetes. Strides events can include walking, cycling, running, dog walking, dancing or other enjoyable physical activities to promote the benefits of healthy exercise.

Lions around the world observe special days that promote awareness of diabetes and its complications, including diabetic retinopathy (vision loss or blindness caused by diabetic eye disease).

For nearly 100 years, Lions International, and the Menomonie Lions Club have worked on projects designed to prevent blindness, restore eyesight and improve eye health and eye care for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Lions volunteer to take part in sight projects that have:

• Saved the sight of more than 15 million children by providing eye screenings, glasses and other treatments through Sight for Kids.

• Established or strengthened pediatric eye care centers that have helped more than 120 million children.

• Helped halt the spread of trachoma in Ethiopia by providing 10 million doses of the sight-saving drug azithromycin annually.

• Prevented serious vision loss for more than 30 million people worldwide.

• Improved eye care for 100 million people by training more than 650,000 eye care professionals and building 315 eye hospitals.

• Distributed more than 147 million treatments for river blindness.

• Provided nearly 8 million cataract surgeries.

• Vaccinated 41 million children in Africa against measles – a leading cause of childhood blindness.

Since 1990, Lions have raised US$415 million through two SightFirst fundraising campaigns to help provide vision for all.

Lions Work to Improve Sight and Fight Blindness

Through efforts such as these, Lions have gained worldwide recognition for our work to improve sight and prevent blindness. Our members around the world are also actively involved in:

• Recycling eyeglasses. (view below for eye glass recycling centers)

• Supporting Lions Eye Banks that provide eye tissue for sight-saving surgeries.

• Screening the vision of hundreds of thousands of people every year.

• Preventing blindness by providing treatment to those at risk of losing their vision.

In 1925, Helen Keller challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” And we accepted. Today, sight programs remain one of our defining causes.