Lions Club helps sight-impaired man to read again

Lions Club helps sight-impaired man to read again
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Wayne Close, front, recently received a magnifier from the Millersburg Lions Club that allows him to read again. Frank Arnold and Butch Wright delivered the device.

                        

While the Millersburg Lions Club, like Lions Clubs across the United States, is primarily concerned with helping children see through their efforts to provide eyeglasses at no cost, members also were able to furnish Wayne Close of Holmes County with a machine that allowed him to read again after being unable to do so for some time due to deteriorated vision. Close is now in his 90s.

“I happened to be in a waiting room at the same time as Wayne and his wife,” Butch Wright of the Millersburg Lions said. “She asked if the club might have anything that might help Wayne see well enough to read again. I said I was sure we did and I’d find out more and get back to them.”

The club did indeed have the device on hand, and it was not being used. “We were able to get it some time ago thanks to the family of Kenneth and Clara Morris, who lived around Killbuck,” Wright said. “The couple’s family, once it was no longer needed, offered it to the Millersburg Lions with the understanding that we would never charge for its use. Wayne Close is the second person we’ve been able to help with the device.”

The magnifier translates printed material from a tray that can be moved in any direction. The image of the print is then transferred to a large screen above, where it can be enlarged to whatever size is required and moved around the page in any direction.

“It is very exciting to watch someone who had been unable to read due to serious vision problems and enable that to happen again,” said Wright, who has been a member of the Millersburg Lions for the past 55 years. “I think it’s really important to let people know we have something like this that can help others.”

Wright said the Millersburg club is active throughout the year raising funds to continue their work to provide glasses to restore sight to children in need. “That’s our primary focus,” he said, “though we have also provided hearing aids for use in schools in the area.”

Fundraisers through the year include food sales at the Holmes County Fair and antique festival, selling roses around Mother’s Day each year, and hosting a pancake and sausage breakfast annually.

Wright said 100 percent of the money raised goes directly to help others in need. “Our members pay dues, and they cover their own expenses. All the money we raise is used for our charitable activities.”

The Millersburg Lions Club is made up of about 35 members, Wright explained. “We’re grateful to be getting new members and always welcome more. If you want to join a worthwhile organization and serve the community, the Lions is a perfect fit,” he said.

Wright said the club has an eyesight committee that oversees the application process for those seeking glasses. “And we have a great working relationship with Drs. James and Holly Conway at Family Eye Care in Millersburg. They’ve been a great help to our club,” he said.

The Millersburg Lions Club meets the first Thursday of each month. For more information about the club, to ask for assistance with obtaining glasses for a child or to ask about becoming a member, call Wright at 330-231-3429 or contact any club member.


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