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May - June Newsletter

Due to a busy schedule with the convention and all, we have combined May and June's newsletter as one!!!

The Presidents Corner

There has been so much going on these last few months, I have neglected my duties regarding this column. However, things are looking up, so here is the news.

The Multi-District Convention 2000 is over at long last. Congratulations to International Director Buster Hall, Governor Dennis Cummings, and Spenard Lion VDG John Regan on your successful elections. Governor elect Dennis has appointed five Spenard Lions to his Cabinet and congratulations go out to Lions Kathleen Conley, Newsletter Editor, Michael Curley, Leader Dog, Royce Larson, Historian, Joanne Koss, Zone 4 Chairlion, and Milo Mujagic, Extension.

Convention awards received this year included 100 percent Club, Lion Mady Burnett received the District Newsletter Award, Lion Joanne Koss received a plaque for her Chair work for Convention 2000, and Lion Michael received an International Extension Award for the Spenard Leos Club. Lion John Regan was awarded a progressive Melvin Jones by the Spenard Lions and President Michael received a Melvin Jones Award. Thank you Spenard Lions for this great award.

Club elections have been concluded for the upcoming year. A complete list of Club Officers will be posted in the Club and in our newsletter. Once again, I will be your President, and I thank you for your confidence in me. I think that the coming year will be fun for all of us. I have thought of several goals for the Club during my next administration, and you will all be happy to hear that I intend on driving everyone crazy. How? You have to wait until the middle of June to find out. See you next month.

Lion Michael Curley, President

LensCrafters and Lions Clubs Making A Difference

THE PARTNERSHIP:
LensCrafters teamed up with Lions Clubs International in 1988 to collect used glasses to distribute to people in developing countries. Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 44,500 clubs and 1.4 million members in 185 countries. The Lions have been serving the visually impaired since 1925.

Since 1988, the partnership has grown into a family of Gift of Sight programs, including the used eyeglasses collection, Lions Special Price program, Hometown Day, international missions and most recently, Sight Night.

USED EYEGLASSES COLLECTION:
Lions have been collecting used glasses for more than 70 years. Many LensCrafters stores collect glasses in conjunction with Lions clubs. Depending on the relationship, LensCrafters or Lions ship the glasses that both collect glasses shipped to Lions Recycling Centers across the U.S. and are recycled by Lions volunteers and sent on Lens Crafters' and Lions' International missions.

INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS:
Since 1991, LensCrafters Foundation has worked in partnership with Lions clubs around the world to perform optical missions. LensCrafters relies solely on local Lions clubs to prepare clinic sites, provide recipients, and arrange team accommodations, translators and equipment shipping. Together, LensCrafters Foundation has worked in partnership with Lions clubs to hold more than 34 missions delivering the gift of sight to nearly 425,000 people in need.

INTRODUCTION:
Twelve years ago LensCrafters & Lions joined forces to give the gift of sight Goal - give the gift of sight to 2 million needy people by 2003. To date, together we've helped more than I million needy people and collected more than16 million pairs of used glasses.

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM:
Since 199 1, LensCrafters Foundation has organized 34 optical missions to 20 developing countries. Lions clubs in each country host LensCrafters, organize the clinic site, assist with customs, arrange government support and arrange 15,000 + recipients to be seen. This year, we will hold ten missions in countries including Thailand, Mexico,Tunisia, Laos, Bolivia, Peru, Morocco and the Philippines. During missions, free exams & recycled glasses are dispensed to needy people by LensCrafters and Lions volunteers.Show program video/slides.

SPECIAL WAYS LIONS CANWORKWITH LENSCRAFTERS:
Used eyeglasses collection: LensCrafters and Lions work together to collect and recycle glasses for both LensCrafters and Lions Clubs International missions. Set up collection sites in the community. Lions Club Special Price: For Lions clubs who purchase glasses for the needy, LensCrafLers offers a special $50 price for an unlimited number of new glasses for those in need. Vouchers can also be purchased in books of IO by your club. GOS On-Site: 30 vouchers sent to each store per year. Lions and other local charities identify and transport needy recipients to stores for new glasses.

Hometown Day:
One day a year, LensCrafters stores across North America open early to provide free eye exams and new glasses to the needy. Last year, we helped 30,000 in one day. (share special story or ask them to come to your store on Hometown Day.)

Contact the Spenard Lions Club, if you desire further information or support from this program. We will put you in touch with the appropriate contact person at LensCrafters.

More Lions In The News

Wally Dunn spent two days spraying spruce trees at the clubhouse and one additional day burning brush.

John Regan, Wally Dunn, Bob Nelson, John Herilhy and two children helped to clean up Benson.

Keep your eyes wide open for a TV spot that may clearly show one of our own Spenard Livewires, Wally Dunn, on camera during the "Blue Jean" Luncheon".

Reoprts are, the camera was just inches off his right shoulder. For sure you should see LION or maybe Spenard LION and two cute kids...don't worry about seeing Wally's face.

Charter Organization of 1999

At a barbeque recognition dinner on May 22nd the Spenard Lions were recognized as the Denali District's CHARTER ORGANIZATION OF 1999 by the Boy Scouts of America, Western Alaska Council. This was to recognize our support of and contributions to Cub Scout Pack 117.

In attendance at the Kincade Park event were Lion Kathleen Conley, Lion Louann Herlihy, Lion John Herlihy and myself. Lion John Herlihy accepted the certicate for the Spenard Lions.

Lion Bob Nelson's son Brad made the local newspaper the hard way. Brad ,a State Trooper, was injured by an autombile while trying to arrest the driver. The driver attempted to drive away and Brad way caught by the door and dragged along. In spite of having his leg run over, Brad suffered only minor injuries and is on the mend. The driver, a 20 year old, was caught and arrested!!

Cortical Vision Impairment: My Perspective
by William McIver, Special Education Service Agency

As a teacher for the blind and visually impaired, I have had the opportunity to work with students with an array of visual limitations. Predominately, the etiologies deal with damage to the eye itself or the optic nerve. These etiologies are easily comprehended due to the physical nature of the impairment and the ability to observe the damaged area(s). Accommodations and adaptations are predictable, to a degree, and intervention strategies are typically implemented with a high validity of confidence.

One of the most difficult visual disorders to comprehend is Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI). One reason for lack of understanding is because the eye and optic nerve are typically in functional order. People become confused because the eye is able to perceive visual stimuli, the information is transmitted to the brain, and the brain processes the information. Yet the person with CVI reacts as though items viewed have not been seen or interpreted.

Vision is a learned response and life's experiences continuously shape and define our perceptions of the visual realm. As a result, no two people see anything exactly the same because each of us experiences life from completely different perspectives. The adage "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" truly describes our perceptual visual capacity. Vision and visual perceptual capacity are best represented through a bell curve continuum. The majority of us fall somewhere in the middle of the curve. There is a small portion of the population that is able to perceive visual information more systematically, effectively, and efficiently. There is also a small portion of the population that has extreme difficulty processing visual information and who need assistance synthesizing what they see.

When working with persons less familiar with CVI, I often observe that most people are unaware of the nature of "learning to see." If a person is able to pinpoint the location of a specific item, and there is no physiological impairment of the eye or optic nerve present, then it is assumed that the item is also being perceived. Too often we don't consider how "we learned to see" objects from various perspectives and gradually learned to interpret what a specific object was. It is good to remind ourselves how a young child first interprets all small four-legged animals as dogs or cats and that over time they learn to discriminate detail and features and are then able to identify an array of animals.

The following are examples that helped me understand the nature of CVI. When driving down a dark country road on a moonlit night, something is seen ahead. Initially, I interpret that object as a hiker along the roadside. I even think I see that he is wearing a hat. However, as I get closer to that "hiker" I realize it is actually a roadside sign. The next time I drive this road, I don't see a hiker because I know to expect a road sign. In other words, prior knowledge and familiarity helps the brain know and interpret what it is seeing. Another example of what CVI might be like is searching for something and experiencing a lot of visual clutter. For instance, I was searching for a screwdriver in a pile with lots of other tools. Although I knew what I was looking for, I could not see it amongst the visual chaos. After nearly giving up, another person immediately located the screwdriver. These scenarios are similar to the ongoing frustration experienced by individuals with CVI.

Persons with CVI fall very low on the left side of the bell curve in regards to their ability to interpret visual information. They require very specific accommodations, individual direction, and instruction in order to gradually interpret even the simplest and most prominent visual presentations. Instruction must be consistent and systematic and rely especially upon meaningful items and events within the person's life. Strategies for intervention have been outlined within this insert.

This article was re-printed with permission from the Special Education Service Agency, Anchorage, AK.

Lions Write

To the Spenard Lions: Thank you for the support and encouragement you have given me in the quest for the D49A VD. Now that it is fact I look to starting this position and assisting DG (elect) Lion Dennis Cummings.

Spenard Lion, John Regan Jr.

Club House Clean-Up by John Regan Jr.

Saturday, May 20th was the day that the creek and clubhouse grounds cleanup took place. The cleanup resulted in the gathering of almost 40 bags by a work force of 26. There were 6 Spenard Lions, 4 Spenard Leos, 1 Leo guest and potiential member, 11 members of the Northern Lights Soccer Club 88 ( a team we sponsor), and 3 women from the Soccer club we have sponsored. All were treated to a barbeque with the guest chef being NLSG Joe Koss who turned a mean spatula!

The weather even co-operated with a wetting down on Friday which held down the dust and a comfortable day on Saturday. Lion Roland Elledge, home from a hospital stay, attended the 17 May meeting and is still recovering from his recent illness. Lion John