Local Lions Awarded Vision Screening Grant

PHOTO: Attending a vision screening grant presentation to the Clarksville Lions Club were (from left) Ken Sisco, Ken Hester,
John Payne, Tracy Price, Clayton Caldwell and Terry Kerbs.

Johnson County Community Foundation, an affiliate of Arkansas Community Foundation, announced a grant to Clarksville Lions Club of $4,000 on behalf of Johnson County Foundation’s
Youth Fund Endowment.

For more than 10 years, the Clarksville Lions Club has utilized its current vision screener to test the vision of approximately 800 children per year. The Lions recently began an initiative to raise money to replace the vision screener since the technology has become obsolete.

Traveling in an area from Oark to Mena and from Lamar to Ozark, the Lions Club has served many daycares, ABC programs and schools, both public and private.
Typically, of the children served, 10 percent are determined to need an optometrist examination.

Currently, the Clarksville Lions are primarily serving Johnson and Franklin counties, as other clubs outside the area have begun purchasing their own vision screeners. That has
allowed for more concentration on screening in the immediate area. The club is always working to add additional facilities in the area to ensure that as many children as possible are being served.
Local Lions also continue to coordinate with neighboring Lions Clubs to assist them with their vision screenings.

To read the full story, see the Oct. 30 edition of The Graphic, found online and in businesses throughout Johnson and Franklin counties.