Zone Meeting Minutes

The meeting of zone 3A was called to order by Zone Chair Lion Glenn Swanson at 7:00 P.M. in the Western Inn at LaPorte.

Due to some poor weather this week and a re-scheduled meeting, we had a sparse turn out of Lions, but a very active discussion.

Region Chairman Bo Zimmerman gave a wonderful presentation on the most recent trip to Mexico. 38 Lions from the District

participated in this annual event to help the visually impaired of South America. Lion Bo thought the best part of the trip was the

"Free Drinks"! I will let him explain that to anyone who is interested. He also has some great pictures to share. Contact Region

The bulk of the meeting was spent in discussion of our Zone Project, The LaPorte County Golf Tournament. PGA Professional Matt Blair

gave us a great deal of information to discuss and digest as we move forward into the planning stages. We have four clubs committed to

the project and one that almost committed. So, we are going to have a LaPorte County Golf Tournament sponsored by the Lions of Zone 3A.

We are forming a committee of 10 Lions who are going to meet on the last Tuesday of each month and probably more often as the

summer goes. Our next Golf Meeting will be March 25 at the Western Inn at 7:00 P.M. Come at 6:00 if you care to eat prior to the meeting.

The LaPorte County Golf Tournament will be played on September 20,21,27 & 28. The Courses played will be Beechwood, Briar Leaf,

Legacy Hills, Long Beach, Pottawattami and Michigan City Municipal. Our goal is to draw 144 golfers from the areas and put on a first class event.

The fee for playing will be $125.00 plus cart fees. That fee will cover all golf and a meal at the awards banquet at the end of the event on the 28th.

The following Lions were in attendance: Jim Fanslow, Maple City, Ken Schnable LaPorte Noon, Dwight Graham President, LaPorte Noon,

Gus Hernandez, Rolling Prairie, Ron King President, Rolling Prairie, PDG Rich Revers LaPorte, Matt Blair, Region Chair Bo Zimmerman and

The Lions from District 25 A have been supplying eye glasses to the people of Mexico since 2001. This year the group traveled to Coacalco, Mx. in February to complete another mission. Coacalco is a town approximately 18 miles North of Mexico City so is still in a busy area. We had a police escort every morning to get to site as the traffic is horrendous and getting onto the highway is dangerous. The bus held all 38 of us and left the hotel for the 12 miles to the mission site promptly at 7:30 each morning and returned from 7:PM to 9:PM each night. Even after we left, the student optometrists were still working sometimes until 10PM. We served 8,892 people and the lines never slowed.

The glasses YOU donate in the Lions Club drop boxes are collected and delivered to the Lions work site in Wanatah for sorting. This has been done by volunteer Lions from the group and has been directed by Wanatah Lion, Lowell Bucher, for the last 9 years. Each week the glasses are collected from Wanatah and taken to Westville Correctional Center. Offenders at WCC. sort, clean, and check each pair thru a lensometer. This machine gives them the correct prescription of the glasses. Glasses are placed into clear plastic bags and labeled with that prescription and if they are for man, woman or child. Parts of glasses are also kept for minor repairs. Glasses are then sorted into boxes of 25 - 50 and sent back to Wanatah and stored. Volunteers then check each pair and they are put into a computer base so we always know exactly which glasses are where. Some time in October up to 60,000 pair of glasses are shipped, at our expense, to Laredo, TX. until the Government of Mexico inspects them and allows them into their country. Once they make it thru the border, they are shipped to our Lion liaison and stored until we arrive for mission. To date over 5,000,000 pair of glasses have been processed at WCC ad that makes this district the USA leader in eyeglass processing. We have personally given sight to over 160,000 people in Mexico thru the generosity of others in the last 8 years.

When we arrive at site each morning, there are already lines of people. The optometry students have arrived before us and started the people on their journey to sight. This year the students had a tent located outside the building with the simple "E" charts that we are accostomed to and began the processing there. In order to even get this far, the people had been processed in their own towns by the DIF. The DIF part of government deals with families and is similar to our WIC program. In three tents this year 200 people were patiently waiting in each tent. This year the local government provided them with juice, water and had a clown performing to make the wait seem shorter. The patients are given a ticket with date and time to come to the mission site. When called, they enter the building and again, according to thier papers, are taken to an area for the doctors to see, or come to the Lions group where they are examined with an auto-refractor. District Lions have donated an autorefractor to the liason officer for their use as well. This machine checks their vision and computerizes their need in lenses. Pickers locate one or two pair of glasses that match the glasses from the boxes packed in Wanatah--matching patients to the numbers on the glasses set up at Westville. Quite a process! The patient, often having waited for 3-4 hours, is now fitted. Can you imagine? By our tracking system we watched a pair of glasses donated by the family of Bryson Cummings in Union Mills, fitted to a man in Mexico. People is Mexico have poor eyesight which is related to their nutrition, smoke pollution and sun exposure.

There are many other stories to tell. The people are awe struck as they see for the first time after many years. A lady threading a needle so she can sew again, tears streaming down her face, gathers you in a hug that makes you tear up, as well, and you have a warm and fuzzy feeling that doesn't stop at the end of the day..... A child who cannot see the black board at school---eyes opened wide --clearly sees printing for the first time and showers you with a smile a mile wide. The parents shake your hand over and over with gratitude. A young mother thanks you for the gift of sight for her 3 year old. One patient gave us a loaf of bread as a token of her appreciaton.

The areas we have visited previously are Tennancingo, San MartinTexmelucan, Zumpango, Valle de Bravo, Guadalajara, Iguala, Ixtapan de la Sol and this year Cocalco. The Guadalajara site was not in the resort area but located outside of town. We visit small cities and they come in busses from surrrounding areas. These are the poor and so greatful for their glasses and thank us profusely for coming. Most Lins also bring small gifts to give to the people after fitting. It may be a bar of soap, toothpaste and a brush, candy, combs, a toy, pencils or base ball caps.

Each fitter and the Lions operating the autorefractors have student translaters with them. These young adults, or high school age students, are with us for eight hours and we gain good rapport with the patients thru them. They are going to school to learn English and ask question after question about our lives. None had seen snow and were amazed when we told them about the snow we were having in Indiana. They cannot imagine the cold, and often they are in sweaters and jackets, while we are enjoying the weather of 72 - 80 degrees.

LaPorte County residents who went on the 2008 Mission were Westville Lions, Butch and Rhonda Weston, Al Slont and daughter, Jessica, Laura and Joe Mullett; Door Village Lions: Betty Daniels-Lanie and Carol and Joe Pahs; Wanatah Lions : PID Gene Rice, Julie and Perry Nigh and John Grott; Union Mills Lions: Bo Zimmerman, Dick Fagg, Jeni Bolton, Mary Deering and Lucy Heironimus. Other Lions frm Districat 25A were Mark and Laura Blaylock -Valpo; Randy Greer,Sam Reisinger, Lou Stanko and Gary Schaffer -South Haven; Hal Haman - Hebron; Mike Krzyzewsk- Koontz Lake; Rachael Maritnez and Arcedes Santiago- East Chicago; Kevin and Connie Rowe - Winimac, Jerry and Dawn Ruge, Robin and Mike Smith, Bob Transon and Marlene Westergreen from Chesterton. Dr. Richard Rucoba, a retired optometrist from Lansing, IL., and wife Dolores, from the East Chicago Lions, have come on 6 of the missions.

I have tried to summarize our week and our mission. We only hope the one thing you remember is that YOU can help us next year by donating your old eyeglasses to the Lions. There are many, many who could see again because of your generosity. Lions Intetnational is the largest service club in the world and we all do our share. Thanks!