Welcome To Our Club Web Site!!!

We are pleased that you have visited our web site. Please check back often as our site is just now getting started and we plan to add some good information, pictures of past and upcoming events as well and much information about our club meetings and projects.

Join Us in Muscatine...

Thank you again for visiting!

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THE LIONS ...Who We Are.........

Lions are more than 1.4 million strong... men and women.. young and old. You will find us in more than 190 countries and geographical areas from the hinterlands of Australia and Brazil to thriving urban centers like New York City and Milan. We speak dozens of languages and vary in nature and customs.
We share a common spirit. Since our beginning in 1917, we have been united in a single cause: helping those less fortunate. We are tackling the tough problems like blindness and drug abuse as well as diabetes awareness--- and finding help and training for the deaf, disables, underpriviledges and the elderly. In fact, whatever the community needs to make life better, were are there to help.

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THE LIONS... What We Do.......

BRINGING RAYS OF LIGHT TO THOUSANDS
For more than 85 years, Lions have been recognized throughout the world for their services to the blind and visually impaired. Back in 1925, when Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become ''Kights of the Blind'' she could not have possibily imagined the impact of Lions commitment to blindness prevention.
Bringing rays of light to the darkness of countless people around the world, lions have established the majority of eye banks worldwide, funded ground-breaking research on leading causes of blindness, organizes eyeglass recycling efforts and helped hundred of thousands of visually impaired people develop the skills to live productive lives.

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KidSight

Muscatine Lions help detect vision problems in young children

Since January, 2004 specially trained Muscatine Lions Club members have screened @1000 Muscatine children, ranging in age from 6 months to 48 months of age. Eighteen of these children have been referred to an eye doctor for additional vision testing and some have received eyeglasses. Vision screening by Muscatine Lions is totally voluntary. No physical contact is made with the child, and no eye drops are used. Parents or guardians must sign a consent form at the time of screening and accompany their children during screening.

Dubbed “Coming to Your Senses,” the vision screening program for young children is a joint effort between Lions Clubs of Iowa and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. The program is funded by the Lions Clubs of Iowa, UIHC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Iowa Lions Foundation, Lions Clubs International Foundation, members of the Iowa Academy of Ophthalmology, Iowa Children’s Miracle Network, the Wellmark Foundation of Iowa, and individual contributors.

Trained Lions Club photographers operate a modified Polaroid camera called a MTI Photoscreener to photograph children’s eyes in a semi-dark room. Co-chairs, Helen and Richard Van Hoozer arrange screenings with local school nurses, directors and teachers of preschools and day care centers, and other community leaders in conjunction with annual local events for young children. The most recent walk-in screening was conducted at the Salvation Army.

Current fiscal year screenings include: T.R.A.I.N. Head Start Roundup; Garfield, Mulberry, Jefferson, Guardian Angel, Discovery Days, Our Savior’s, and Wonder Years Preschools; La Escuelita Tutoring Center Preschool; Community Y Daycare and Healthy Kids Day, Muscatine Kindergarten Roundup, and the Annual Night of the Young Child.

The instant photographs taken of the child’s eyes are sent to the UIHC, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences for interpretation by trained specialists who examine the photographs for signs of misaligned eyes, lazy eye, cataracts, near and far sightedness, and other problems. Within 2 to 3 weeks, a report is sent directly to parents or to the predetermined site contact person. If a possible vision problem is detected, the report will suggest the child be taken to a vision doctor for further examination. The referral rate in Muscatine is currently running about 3%.

Young children with vision problems do not know they are not seeing correctly. Left untreated, eye problems can result in learning difficulties and even permanent loss of sight. Yet, most eye problems can be corrected if detected early. Muscatine Lions are working hard to protect children’s sight. Your participation is appreciated. For further information or to set up a screening, please phone (563) 263-1233 or (563) 299-1869 or e-mail helen27@machlink.com.

Take a peek at the CTYS Lions