Lions Club looking forward to continued service to community and vision impaired

The Jasper Lions Club brought vision checks to the local schools in the late 1950s. Before then, parents were on their own to determine whether their children might need prescription glasses.

But for a group dedicated to addressing vision issues in our communities and internationally, the local Lions Club members saw it as an important step toward helping set students up for success in school and in life. The program was so successful that within a few years, it became standard for schools to test students’ eyesight upon entering.

This year marks the club’s 75th anniversary — actually, it was this past Sunday, November 30. The local organization received its official charter from Lions International on November 30, 1950. Its mission continues to be focused on preventing blindness and helping others see.

While they are no longer going into schools to provide eye examinations, the club collects and distributes used eyeglasses, funds eye examinations, supports training and provides guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired, and maintains 22 reading machines available for use by community members with visual impairments.

The vision machines are important for individuals who may have trouble reading small print, like that on a prescription pill bottle or other important materials. According to member Joe Cozza, they even have an individual who uses one to for woodworking.

“The guy wants to still be able to do woodworking, but he can’t hardly see anymore, so it blows everything up, and he keeps himself busy,” Cozza explained.

The club’s commitment to vision assistance extends beyond equipment loans. Members collect eyeglasses from local optometrists, and several drop sites around the county — Liberty Federal Credit Union, IGA Southside, Walmart Eye Center — then transport them to the state office, where volunteers sanitize the glasses and add prescriptions before distributing them internationally.

Local optometrists have volunteered to travel overseas with eye exam equipment and the refurbished glasses to provide vision care in underserved areas.

The club’s most visible community project remains the Jasper Lions Park, located at the intersection of State Road 164 and Third Avenue near the Riverwalk. The organization developed the park as the community’s first ADA-accessible recreational facility.

“At the time, the ADA (Americans with Disability Act) wasn’t around, so we just decided to build this park and make it wheelchair accessible and handicap accessible,” 44-year member Don Crutchlow recalled.

The park development required extensive work to transform what was essentially a riverside swampland into usable recreational space. The club even repurposed stones from the old county jail to line the creek splitting the park.

Original amenities included playground equipment, swings, a jungle gym, a fire pit and a shelter house on the south side of the creek. Two Eagle Scout projects have enhanced the park over the years. In 2016, the park was expanded to include a handicap-accessible fitness center featuring several workout stations.

The club’s primary fundraising event, the Radio Auction, has operated for over 50 years in partnership with WITZ radio station. The fall event takes place at the Dubois County Museum and features donated products and services from local businesses, factories, and individuals.

The Strawberry Festival represents another community tradition. Now in its 30th year, the event takes place in late May or early June at Riverview Park in conjunction with Old Jasper Day. Members serve strawberries, ice cream, shortcake, grilled sandwiches and soft drinks.

For several years, the club has also sponsored the Strassenfest Children’s Box Parade, a longstanding Jasper tradition that encourages children to create their own box entries. Before the Strassenfest opening ceremony, participants pull their boxes in a parade with prizes awarded by age groups.

“So through these events, we’re actually able to raise a lot of money to provide vision screening,” said current president Nick Arthur. “We collect eyeglasses, we offer eyeglass assistance to those in need, and we really support eye health programs across Dubois County.”

The club continues its founding mission established when Helen Keller challenged Lions International in 1925 to become her “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” Lions Clubs International now represents the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in 44,500 clubs across over 180 countries.

The Jasper club’s emblem features two lion profiles facing away from the center, symbolizing both pride in past accomplishments and confidence in future service.

“We’re 75 years old,” Critchlow said. “We’ve got a good past and we are looking forward to continuing.”

As the organization enters its 76th year, members focus on recruiting new participants to sustain the club’s community impact. The club meets on Wednesdays and welcomes new members interested in supporting vision assistance programs and community service projects throughout Dubois County.

You can follow them on Facebook here or learn more about the organization’s mission and assistance on its website.