A World in Need, a Foundation of Support | Lions Clubs International

Reposted from Lions Club International Blog:

Brooklyn Driver (right) was diagnosed with numerous eye complications and told she’d never function as a normal child because of them. Thanks to LCIF, Lions and her own hard work, she overcame these obstacles, achieving what once seemed impossible.

On her 16th birthday, Brooklyn Driver earned her driver’s license. At 17, she was captain of her tennis team. While still in her teens, she backpacked across five European countries and became a passionate painter and skilled trap shooter. Not easy for the Lafayette, Tennessee, USA, native who at age 18 months was diagnosed with eye complications including strabismus, myopia and lazy eye, and who was told she’d never drive a car, play sports or function as a normal child because of her vision.

Thanks to Lions, Driver overcame all of these obstacles. For 10 years, she attended monthly appointments at the Tennessee Lions Eye Center at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in nearby Nashville and performed daily eye therapy at home. “Without the influence and help of Lions, I’d never have accomplished so much and seen the world,” said Driver. “Lions Clubs International Foundation made the little things in life matter, changed my life forever and made the seemingly impossible a reality.”

In LCIF’s rich 50-year history, Lions have steadily received grants from their global foundation…

Global Foundation, Local Impact
In many communities, Lions are best known for their service to individuals with blindness or other visual impairments. But Lions’ role in success stories like Driver’s isn’t unique, as their work expands far beyond the realm of vision and sight. In fact, Lions are dedicated to providing comfort and care to the most vulnerable and at-risk world citizens in all these areas:

• Vision
• Youth
• Disaster Relief
• Humanitarian Efforts
• Diabetes
• Childhood Cancer
• Hunger
• The Environment

There’s a world in need, and where there’s a need, there’s a Lion. There’s also Lions Clubs International Foundation – LCIF – empowering the service of 1.4-plus million Lions globally through grant funding of life-changing initiatives that deliver hope and healing to hundreds of millions more.

Lions and LCIF: the Power of We
Mission-driven since 1968, LCIF has awarded more than US$1 billion in grants – funding made possible through generous support from Lions; corporate, government and foundation partners; and others passionate about serving those negatively impacted by disease, disaster and other devastation. In LCIF’s rich 50-year history, Lions have steadily received grants from their global foundation to provide service for:

• Saving Sight
  • 9.1 million cataract surgeries performed
  • 270 million treatments for river blindness administered
  • 3 million ophthalmologists and other health workers trained
• Transforming Children’s Lives
  • 17-plus million students in more than100 countries accessed positive learning environments through Lions Quest
• Providing Disaster Relief
  • US$130 million to fulfill immediate needs such as food, water and clothing, as well as to fund long-term reconstruction of homes and vital public facilities, in response to natural disasters
• Saving Lives
  • 110 million doses of measles or measles rubella vaccines procured

To view full post by Caryn Lerner January 11, 2019: A World in Need, a Foundation of Support | Lions Clubs International