News : Vinton Lions host District Convention at IBSSS

The Vinton Lions Club welcomed scores of Lions from northeast Iowa to Vinton over the weekend for the District 9NE Convention. During the Friday evening welcome and a variety of Saturday sessions, Lions learned about the successes of a variety of club programs and exchanged ideas.

Lions hear updates on the leader dog for the blind program, the Iowa Hearing Aid Bank, high school referring and the annual Beep Ball contest in Ames, and also heard about what they should know if they decide to run for the post of District Governor.

District leaders presented awards; Vinton Lions received the highest Club Excellence Award for the 2013-14 year. The keynote speaker was Lion International Director Karla Harris of Milwaukee. She spoke about her role in the Lions’ eye glass mission program. Local member Julie Zimmer recalls one powerful story: "Karla talked about going to Mexico with a group from Wisconsin. The group took a small van to an isolated village. Driving in, she saw people lined up along the street and wondered what the event was. Turning each corner, the line went on and on. Many had come some distance, getting there in the wee small hours of the morning, hoping for glasses. Inside the building the benches and bleachers were packed. She was assigned to fit used eyeglasses to people as they came to her station. The glasses were organized by prescription and the applicants were assessed before they were sent to the fitters. "She told a particularly moving story about an elderly Spanish-speaking man who arrived with the assistance of his 18-year-old grandson who spoke some English. The man bowed his head and put his fingers to his furrowed forehead, repeating what seemed to be a small prayer, each time she tried a pair of glasses on him. One, two, three pairs didn’t work, but each time he said his prayer before looking up and opening his eyes. Finally, pair number eight. He raised his face and opened his eyes and the furrows from squinting for many years actually fell away from his forehead. After focusing for a minute or two, a smile broke out and he was thrilled and grateful to really see his grandson for the first time in his life. "As a director for Lions International, Karla and her husband travel almost every weekend of the year to visit clubs and groups, promoting, unifying and encouraging Lions to live the motto, 'we serve.'"
Harris also thanked the Vinton Lions for their work in organizing the event in Vinton and making the Convention run smoothly. Several local members volunteered for specific duties during the weekend and before. There are 48 clubs in the 12 counties of District 9NE.