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Vision like a Lion

  • Lions Club member Brad Bailey, center, stands with Charles City Community School District teachers after dropping off bottles of lens cleaner and microfiber cleaning cloths for students. Contributed photos

  • Phoebe Pittman and Jim Lundberg put the cleaning solution to use after Lions Club member Brad Bailey dropped off the club's school donations.

Do you know of someone giving back to their community? Contact reporter Kate Hayden by email with names and contact information, or tweet at her (@xkatehayden) using #FloydCoGives.

By Kate Hayden | khayden@charlescitypress.com

When Lions Club member Brad Bailey’s wife came home from teaching at the Charles City Middle School one day, he was surprised to hear a problem students with glasses were having in their classrooms.

“She came home and told me about students who had glasses that were so dirty they couldn’t see through them,” Bailey, a Lions board member, recalled, and he realized they could help. “I thought, ‘Wow, this is right up the Lions Club’s alley.”

The Charles City Lions Club, which began in 1917, works with its parent organization, Lions International, on “Eyes and Ears” programs to save sight and hearing. Charles City members already collect around 3,000 pairs of eyeglasses a year, and do preliminary vision screening for preschool students in the community through the “Kids’ Sight” program.

“Keeping with that idea … Let’s provide each classroom with a spray bottle and proper wipes, and donate those so kids and teachers can have clean glasses to see through,” Bailey said.

Bailey pitched the idea to the Lions board at the September meeting, where members unanimously approved it. After ordering the lens cleaner bottles and microfiber cloths at the Optometric Center, Bailey said he received a call from Dr. Curtis Opp within the week.

“He liked the idea and wanted to be a part of it, so the Optometric Center was going to donate the spray bottles, and (the Lions) would just have the wipes to pay for,” Bailey said.

Bailey went through the Charles City school district on Wednesday, dropping off donations of spray bottles and microfiber cloths at every school including Immaculate Conception Elementary and the Carrie Lane High School program.

“We have decided and determined that we’re going to continue to do this on a yearly basis. It fits with the idea of ‘Lions in the Classroom,'” Bailey said, referring to grants given by the club to assist local classrooms.

It also fits with the club’s mission to positively impact youth eyesight –– through “Kids’ Sight,” the program screens between 150-200 children each year and takes images of their eyes. The images are sent to a lab analysis, which determines if the child needs to see a local optometrist for further testing.

“We’re donating our time for early screening of 3- and 4-year-olds so that it’s not a burden for any parent to have that first test done if they’re concerned about their children’s vision,” Bailey said. “We’re trying to early-identify problems that may be there. If you don’t have your eyesight, you’re not going to learn as well. Let’s put everyone on as even a platform as possible.”

The Charles City Lions Club collects used eye glasses and hearing aids for recycling at a yellow collection box on Main Street, location across the Charles Theater and in front of the First Security Bank & Trust corporate offices. For more information, visit the club’s website at www.cclionsclub.org.

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