You Never Know When You Might Need Someone To Lean On!
“Bleak! In one word – Bleak!” That’s how Carolyn Wilson described a snapshot of her life just a short while ago. 36 years of marriage over. No employment. No health insurance. Eyesight rapidly deteriorating. Panic set in. “Let me tell you. I’ll never, ever wait again – Never!”
Carolyn addressed a recent OLSHF Trustee meeting on the campus of Guide Dogs for the Blind. Lions are all too familiar with the story. Individuals who were bright, productive members of the community, falling on hard times due to unplanned dilemmas thrust into their lives. Loss of a long term relationship, combined with unemployment can be devastating. And if vision fails, hope for any opportunity out of the quagmire can bring about hopelessness. For Carolyn, who lives with her daughter Jennifer, and three young granddaughters, being able to see was critical to the fabric of their lives. Jennifer was also seeking work, but had to be available to drive Carolyn where she needed to go. Carolyn needed her vision restored in order to help care for three active children, while mom was out seeking employment. “I had a diabetic cataract removed in 2002 from my left eye. Without insurance, I had to stop my insulin injections which may have activated the cataract formation in my right eye. I knew this cataract would be different. It was getting very dense,” added Carolyn. “I especially noticed it when putting on my makeup. It got to the point where I couldn’t see anything out of my right eye. I knew it had to be taken care of, but I kept hoping I’d get a job and have insurance.” A family friend who had married her sister, Nancy, suggested contacting the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation’s Patient Care program. That family friend turned out to be Lions Pin Trader Don Adams. Don got Carolyn the application forms and within a month and a half, Carolyn was set for surgery. Carolyn explained that her mother always taught the family members to give. “We are all giving people. I haven’t been able to give these past few years. I’ve been on the receiving end. I am anxious to get back to a productive life where I can continue to give and help others the way the Lions have helped me.”
	“Lions are wonderful,” exclaims Carolyn. “It has meant my eyesight. I was aware of what Lions did, but it certainly helps when you know someone who is a Lion and knows what services are available. At this particular time in my life, it has meant everything to me. I can’t thank the Lions and the Foundation enough.”
Carolyn found she could lean on the Lions through the Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation because of our enduring commitment to provide hope for youth and adults across the state who are in need of sight or hearing saving surgeries. Lions recently received a holiday appeal for support. The stark reality is that the overwhelming need for the Foundation’s services outweighs the funds we have available. Lion’s gifts to the Foundation, no matter what the size, are a wise investment in the health and the strength of our communities. Your contribution guarantees that individuals like Carolyn will have an organization to lean on when they feel like life is falling apart. Carolyn found she could lean on the Lions for support. Since 1959, our enduring commitment has been to provide hope for youth and adults across the state who are in need of sight, hearing and health assistance. Whether it’s sight or hearing saving surgeries or providing free preventative health screenings to 30,000 children and adults annually, the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation is filling in the missing pieces of service for people who have nowhere else to turn. Today we are faced with the reality that the overwhelming need for our services outweighs the funds we have available. Your contribution of $5, $50, $500 or more enables us to transform the lives of 55,000 youth and adults every year. Your gift is a wise investment in the health and the strength of our communities: 89 cents of every dollar given goes directly to helping a person in need. Your investment in the Foundation assures the most vulnerable in Oregon - those living with little or no health insurance - have the opportunity to thrive. We believe that no one should have to struggle with treatable vision or hearing impairments. Just as communities are counting on us, we are counting on you. Your contribution to the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation guarantees that individuals like Carolyn will have an organization to lean on when they feel like their life is falling to pieces.
If you would like donate to the Oregon Lions Foundation and help others like Carolyn click here

The Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation
1410 S.W. Morrison St, Suite 760 Portland, OR 97205
503-827-6952 * 800-635-4667

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