Lions Club celebrates 80-year tradition of serving visually impaired residents

The Lebanon Lions Club held a Christmas luncheon Wednesday, reflecting the organization’s focus on creating community for people with vision impairment.

Club president Eric Long explained that the Lions Club has a singular focus on helping visually impaired people within the community. The club donates over $50,000 annually to help those with vision loss, he said, in particular through a partnership with VisionCorps.

The annual Christmas party has been held for around 80 years, bringing together Lions Club members and the community they support.

“Our mission is to serve the visually impaired, so that’s a community in Lebanon that knows us really well and we know them really well,” said Long.

Among Wednesday’s attendees were Ken and Kathy Buffenmyer. Three years ago, Ken lost his vision due to a rare eye disease and sought support from the Lions Club and VisionCorps.

In that time, the Buffenmyers have become regulars at Lions Club social functions — including a summer picnic as well as the Christmas party, on top of weekly meetings — and participated in VisionCorps groups and programs.

“Lebanon County is very blessed with VisionCorps and the Lions Club,” said Kathy. “There’s not enough words to say how amazing those organizations are, they’ve helped us so much.”

VisionCorps executive vice president Chris Ament explained that the nonprofit, which serves Adams, Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties, provides people dealing with vision loss with case management, occupational therapy, access technology, support groups, and other services. Last year, he said, the organization served over 1,200 clients.

“Our whole mission is to empower people with vision loss to achieve independence,” said Ament.

One service is early intervention, with VisionCorps screening kids under 5 years old for vision problems. That way, he explained, kids can start receiving support as early as they are able to, especially with some conditions leading to irreversible loss if not treated early enough.

“Vision affects basically everything we do,” said Ament, adding he feels the prevalence of visuals in everyday life is increasing.

Ament emphasized the social portion of support for visually impaired people, noting that depression is a common experience for people experiencing new or worsened vision loss.

He also said many people express the wish that they got support earlier. Vision loss, he explained, exists on a sliding scale, and VisionCorps offers support for people who experience difficulties in their day-to-day lives because of vision loss. Most of their clients still have some vision, he said.

The Lions Club once employed a sight nurse through the Sight Conservation Committee who would organize and provide services for clients with vision impairment. However, after her retirement, a partnership with VisionCorps was formed.

Other services highlighted by Long include support for Lebanon Library e-books, funding for exams and glasses for low-income individuals, and donations to organizations like World Blindness Outreach, Beacon Lodge, and Leader Dog.

Wednesday’s luncheon was populated by current and former Lions Club members, recipients of Lions Club and VisionCorps services, and their loved ones.

Attendee Dennis Hollinger said he previously belonged to the Annville-Cleona Lions Club before its closure.

He said he has made a lot of friends at Lions Club social events, both with clients and providers of care. Events like the Christmas party, he said, give him a chance to catch up with people he doesn’t get to see often.

While attendees ate, students from Cedar Crest High School performed Christmas and holiday songs.

County Commissioner Bob Phillips, also a Lions Club member, also sang a few songs with backing tracks.

At the end of the luncheon, Long invited attendees to join in singing “White Christmas,” a song with particular importance to the Lions Club.

Long recalled Lions Club member Eddie Allwein, who had attended the Christmas party annually from the time he was only a few years old. Born with blindness in 1944, Allwein found community in the Lions Club, and developed a tradition of singing “Silver Bells” and “White Christmas” at the end of each Christmas party.

When Allwein died in 2018, the club decided to carry on his memory by inviting attendees to sing along with his favorite Christmas songs.

“We always remember him by singing a solo performance of the songs he loved to sing …White Christmas and Silver Bells,” said Long.