Austin Downtown Lions Club News

Free Early Childhood Vision Screening

Mark Hastings — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:43:57 GMT

The Downtown Austin Lions Club in collaboration with the Registered Opticians of Texas conducted a free Early Childhood Vision Screening on Saturday, January 30, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hyde Park Christian Church (Rev. (and fellow Lion) Jacqueline Baker, Senior Pastor). Children, ages from 6 months to 4 years old were the targeted population for the screening, which aims to detect Lazy eye, eye turns, myopia, near and farsightedness, astigmatism, cataracts and differences in strength between the two eyes.

Thirty children were screened, three were referred to a pediatric ophthalmologist for further testing and four more were told that their children may need more screening as they grow older. Other findings that came to our attention during the period of preparation and doing the actual screening are that 50% of children who have difficulty learning can attribute it to some kind of vision problem and that 50 students attending Pearce Middle School in Northeast Austin currently need glasses. Lion J. P. Kirksey provided us with information for getting glasses for those students.

The Club thanks the Austin Travis County Health Department (Carole Barash, PIO officer), Any Baby Can (Marcela Lizcano, children's health intervention and screening officer) and Lion Sam Johnson and his assistants who conducted the screening on behalf of the Registered Opticians Association of Texas for their assistance in making the screening a success. All of them were magnificent. And last, but certainly not least, a tip of the hat to the fellow Lions who CONTINUE TO GIVE new meaning to the Lion's motto "WE SERVE".

Julien C. Hyer Lions Youth Camp (by Lion Allan Chase)

Mark Hastings — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:07:58 GMT

The Austin Downtown Lions Club had a fantastic treat and honor. From July 13^th to the 16^th we hosted the Julien C. Hyer Campers from 18 foreign counties. The camp, which is based in the Dallas area, invites and hosts the campers for over one month in the great state of Texas. This Lions club initiative happens every summer and has for 35 years. First organized in 1973 and begun in 1974, this camp is a great opportunity for the Lions to bring over from Europe, Asia and Africa (and sometimes Australia) students 17 to 20 years old, and show them what a great country the United States is. Of course, Texas is the best place to stage that experience. They start out in Dallas and become familiar with their host families there and then go and spend close to a week at Lake Texoma at the home camp. From there they came to stay with us until the 16^th of July, and then returned to Dallas….from there they spent a week in Lubbock, so they were able to experience much of the TEXAS experience during their visit.

After being “dormant” for several years, the camp directors called a few years ago and asked if our club would like to host the camp in Austin for one day. We agreed and Lions Bill Campbell and Rudy Munguia helped guide the campers through a tour of the State Capital which they enjoyed immensely. The following year after the camp directors called and asked for a little more time in the Austin Area, Lions Sam Buford and Allan Chase agreed to co-chair the planning of their visit and one day became two which became three and this year it became four days. Next year it may become all week! It is a great opportunity to mold the impressions of the future leaders of many other countries. It is an opportunity and a responsibility.

For the past two years, our generous club has agreed to pay their expenses to come down to Austin for the four days, and that includes the bus, the bus driver, and incidental expenses during the trip.

The campers arrived by bus at Barton Springs Pool on Monday the 13^th where they spent the day. Lion Sam Buford had arranged and matched the host families to the campers. The hosts met the campers they were matched with for the first time that afternoon and took them to their homes. The next morning the hosts dropped off the campers at the State Capital for a tour arranged by Lions Scott Hendrix and Rudy Munguia followed by lunch at the annex cafeteria. From there the campers went to the Bullock State History Museum for a tour and a movie. The hosts picked them up in the afternoon. On Wednesday morning the hosts delivered their campers to Barton Springs Pool (used as a staging area). The bus then took them to San Marcos where they spent the day tubing and relaxing on the San Marcos River. The bus delivered them back to Barton Springs Pool where their hosts picked them up. That evening several hosts families spent time with their campers eating Mexican food or swimming in Lake Austin or country & western dancing. On the last day the campers were taken by their hosts to the UT campus for a tour arranged by Lion Alan Ford. From there they came to our weekly luncheon where they became the program. The highlight of the lunch was when each camper introduced themselves and told us the best part of the week. They then left us to return to Dallas but not before stopping in Waco and touring the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. where they spent the day tubing and relaxing on the

Many Lions, too numerous to mention, helped out this year, and it is hoped that we have even MORE involvement next year. The generous hosts that opened their homes and wallets to these campers should be commended….looking forward to July 2010!

Sportsmanship Awards

Mark Hastings — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:44:10 GMT

The Austin Downtown Lions Club presented its 2009 Sportsmanship Awards to Lanier boys basketball team and the McCallum girls volleyball team.

The awards were presented at the club's weekly meeting today. In attendance were the team members and their coaches. A traveling trophy was presented to each team and the athletic departments of each school received a $500 check from the club.

These awards recognize local school athletic teams and their coaches for their sportsmanship and fair play. Local umpires and referees vote for the recipients of the awards. It is open to all sports and is presented to one boys team and one girls team. This club is proud to have presented this award for many years.