Full Basket Belize approves grant to SP Lions

On Tuesday, November 29th, the San Pedro Lions Club received great news through a letter by Full Basket Belize (FBB), approving the club’s community grant application for $2,000BZ. Chairperson Jan Brown had been corresponding with FBB for grant assistance to fund the Belize Lions National Children’s Eye Screening Program.
Since the San Pedro Lion Club is a non-profit organization, the club relies on fundraising and donations in order to support the community needs. “Grants aren’t easy to write, but we appreciate whenever our work is recognized. Some might not know that the eye screening program requires a lot of paperwork to be distributed, as well as report forms. Therefore, the grant request asked for money to pay for reams of paper and cartridges for printing,” said Brown.
Although Belize Council for Vision Impaired (BCVI) clinics are only readily available in Belize City, Brown is dedicated to have children screened here on Ambergris Caye and Corozal. “I’ve been wearing glasses since age five and I know the value of being helped with vision needs at an early age. Children in Belize aren’t privileged to have an eye clinic in most districts. For many, our screening program nationwide is the first time these kids have been tested. We find that the teachers are the ones who must encourage the parent to follow through with the eye exam so their child can see better, get better grades and have a better self-esteem. On the other hand, there are parents who call to get immediate follow-up, which makes us proud we have helped out. From mid-September to mid-December we have tested over 3,600 children countrywide,” said Brown.
In addition, the San Pedro Lions club represented the National Program at the Special Olympics Games in Corozal on Friday, December 2nd. A total of 149 children from all six districts received free eye screenings, and 13 were given referrals. The club will continue their work in January 2017, visiting 47 schools across Corozal District.
The San Pedro Lions Club will like to thank FBB for the opportunity to submit their application and receive the award. They also extend a thank you to BelizeKids.Org, individual donations from Lion Bill Thornton, Lion Tamara Sniffin of The San Pedro Sun, the Ministry of Education, Tropic Air (for discounted airfare), Lion volunteers, and others who have shown interest to come aboard in 2017.