The San Pedro Lions Club received a donation from the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany (NABA), New York, USA on Friday November 1st. Handing over the donation was Dr Paul Beer, a well known visitor to Ambergris Caye and a friend of the San Pedro Lions Club. The two suitcases of items included sunglasses and other reading devices.
Dr Beer is no stranger to the island, since he has been an ambassador for the local club, always finding ways to bring donations that will help the efforts of the Lions in Belize. According to Dr Beer, the items donated can be utilized by people who have vision problems. “All of the donated items come from Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany. They consist of dark sunglasses, most of it being used by people who have had cataract surgery or who have other eye problems and cannot tolerate the bright light. The other suitcase has low vision aids which includes a variety of magnified glasses which is used by people who have decreased vision. These people can use them to read, look at the television or things from a distance.”
The two large suitcases included several hundred items and according Dr Beer, the low vision items can range between US $100 to $500 each when new, while each pair of sunglasses is estimated between US $30 to $50. “One of the suitcases alone can easily be worth US$5,000” said Dr Beer.
The donation was received by Rigoberto Kumul, the President of the San Pedro Lions Club who was accompanied by other club members. Kumul took the opportunity to thank Dr Beer and his wife Cindy, for being a constant support to the San Pedro Lions Club.
, New York, USA on Friday November 1st.){kind=link}