Lions bring back White Cane Day

The Lions Clubs of South Africa, through the Lions BrightSight initiative, are reviving White Cane Day (October 15) to raise awareness about blindness.

Lions BrightSight has been providing corrective spectacles to the less privileged throughout Southern Africa since 1978.

White Cane Day has been an October 15 observance in the United States since 1964 and is a globally recognised celebration of the achievements of people who are blind or visually impaired.

The most recognized symbol of blindness and a tool of independence for the visually impaired is the white cane.

According to Beaulieu Maré, spokesperson for the Gauteng-based Lions Brightsight initiative, the theme of this year’s White Cane Day is “Tap into the Future, There are no Limits!”

“We have officially named October, Sight Month, not only will the Lions be raising awareness throughout the month but also raising funds through the sale of special Lions BrightSight pins as part of White Cane Day.

“The pins are R10 each, and every cent goes back into community projects to help people who are sight-impaired.

“An initiative of the Multiple District 410 Lions project, BrightSight provides corrective spectacles to underprivileged people throughout the country, as well as in neighbouring states.

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Since its inception in July 1978, thousands of spectacles have been distributed to people, bringing smiles to the faces of senior citizens, children and indigents who would otherwise have gone through life with impaired vision.

The objectives of Lions BrightSight are: To receive spectacle prescriptions from Lions Clubs, provincial hospitals, optometric clinics and various other organisations (by means of a local Lions Club) and to process these scripts at low cost using new and pre-owned frames that are in excellent condition and fitted with new prescription lenses.

“Lions BrightSight is the Multiple District 410’s flagship project and has re-introduced White Cane Day to highlight the needs of visually impaired as well as to raise funds to assist those who have sight issues,” explained Maré.

She encouraged local businesses to challenge each other by ordering White Cane Day pins for their staff or sell pins in-house in aid of their local Lions club, and for individuals to look out for Lions members selling the pins on October 15.

Lions BrightSight can put people in touch with their local Lions Club or supply them with pins directly.

Interestingly, Maré explained, in 1925, Helen Keller attended the Lions Clubs International Convention and challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.

“The Lions accepted her challenge and their work ever since has included sight programmes aimed at preventable blindness.

Keller developed a fever at 18 months of age that left her blind and deaf, but with the help of an exceptional teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, from the Perkins School for the Blind, she learned sign language and braille.

A few years later, she learned to speak, and as an adult became a tireless advocate for people with disabilities.

Benoni’s BrightSight Clinic is situated at 110 Woburn Avenue. A registered optician is available to test eyes at the clinic on Tuesdays.

There is no longer a “first-come-first-served procedure so you have to set up an appointment beforehand by phoning Janis on 011 422 5577 on Wednesdays or Thursdays between 9am and 1pm.

Special clinics can be arranged on request for larger groups (companies, for example).

The cost of an eye test is R100, spectacles cost R200 for single vision, R500 for bifocals and R700 for multifocal.

Additional charges for high scripts are applicable but the patient will be advised of the cost before the script is processed.

Corporates: Set a White Cane Day Challenge – The Benoni Lakes Lions would like to challenge Benoni businesses to buy White Cane Day pins for each of their staff members at a cost of R10 per pin and then challenge other businesses to do the same.

The purpose of White Cane Days is two-fold. First and foremost to educate the world about blindness and how the blind and visually impaired can live and work independently while giving back to their communities, to celebrate the abilities and successes achieved by blind people in a sighted world and to honour the many contributions being made by the blind and visually impaired.

Secondly, the awareness day aims to raise funds in support of providing education and to assist those who have sight issues.

Order White Cane Day pins from Benoni Lakes Lions Club by contacting Beaulieu Maré on beaulieu@eram.co.za or 082 971 5472.