Major Projects of District 12-N

The following projects are supported cooperatively by all of the Lions Clubs in District 12-N. Each of these agencies are available to all persons in need of their services.

East Tennessee Lions Eye Bank is located in the UT Hospital, 1924 Alcoa Highway, U-26. The facility is the major clearing house between persons donating their eyes after death and the recipient of a corneal transplant. It also provides programs in public awareness, professional education, and research. Eye Will cards may be obtained from Lions Clubs members. For more information call 423-544-9625.

The Tennessee unit of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic is located in Oak Ridge. Recording is done on request from students and professionals and the cassettes are free, These are on loan to 80,000 registered visually and print-impaired borrowers. The unit is located on 205 Badger Road in Oak Ridge; phone number is 423-482-3496.

The Tennessee School for the Deaf in Knoxville receive funds to assist students who need hearing devices, medicine, eye glasses, shoes, clothing, and other personal items. A student work program is also aided through these funds.

Students at the state-operated school for visually impaired children near Nashville also receive funds from District 12-N Lions Clubs. At the Tennessee School for the Blind, special Christmas checks are presented to the students each year, and needy students are provided with clothing and necessities. A work program lets students learn and develop essential work habits and earn a limited amount of money.

Volunteer Blind Industries in Morristown is totally owned and operated by the Lions of District 12-N. It has an evaluation and training center, and it provides employment at competitive wages for blind workers. The rehabilitation center in Morristown helps visually and physically handicapped adults gain independence through specialized training; a dormitory is available for trainees. For more information about the services or the products from LVBI, call 423-586-3922.

Lions World Services for the Blind is located in Little Rock, Arkansas, but supported by the Lions of Tennessee. It is a comprehensive rehabilitation center for blind adults providing and counseling for emotional and psychological adjustment to blindness, training in independent living and mobility skills, vocational evaluation, and high quality, marketable job skills training. Persons needing these services should contact their local Lions Club.

Leader Dogs for the Blind is located in Rochester, Michigan, but supported by the Lions of District 12-N. Leader Dogs provides guide dogs for the blind at no charge. In addition, many local Lions Clubs will help provide transportation to Leader Dog when help is needed. Expert trainers work for two months with each potential guide dog, and then the blind recipient lives in a special dormitory for one month to learn how to work with the dog. Prospective recipients should contact their local Lions Club or contact Lion Jim Odom, Jr., in Kingston, TN, at 423-376-9923.

Because diabetes is one of the leading causes of blindness, the District 12-N Lions support the Juvenile Diabetes Association both through financial support and cooperative efforts to educate the communities about the detection, treatment, and the work for a cure. For more information call Lion Cecil Campbell at 423-687-8462.

Revised January 29, 2003