50 Years of Saving Sight - A Celebration
         
As a Missouri Lion, you have played an important role in saving sight for thousands through your support of the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation and Heartland Lions Eye Banks. Since we began partnering with the Lions in 1960, we have provided tissue for more than 33,000 transplants in the U.S. and around the world.

To thank Lions members, the Foundation is inviting you to join us for a 50th anniversary luncheon at the American Legion Hall in Columbia on June 12, 2010 at 12 p.m. Our special guest will be Dr. Garth Russell, a retired orthopedic surgeon who started his medical career as a member of the Eye Bank team during our first years. He even turned the key when we opened the Eye Bank facility!

Tickets for the luncheon are $20 per person and can be purchased at your upcoming district convention from the following board members:

• Lion Dr. Dan Obermark - M-1
• VCC Marvin McAdams and Lion Stan Rehn - M-2
• PDG Roger Tiemann - M-3
• PCC Duane Nauman - M-4
• Lion Alice Ballard - M-5
• Lion Stuart Payne - M-6
• Lion John Schaefferkoetter, PDG Donal Knipp and CC Jesse Hathcock - M-7

Tickets are very limited, so be sure to get yours before they're sold out! For more information on tickets, contact Nicole Plegge at nplegge@mlerf.org or at 800-283-1982, ext. 115.

National Eye Donor Month Supplies

This March, the Eye Bank will recognize National Eye Donor Month (NEDM), a time when we honor those who have given the gift of sight and encourage Missouri residents to register as eye, organ and tissue donors through www.missouriorgandonor.com. In 2009, the Eye Bank placed tissue for 2,775 transplants, including 710 in Missouri.

If you would like to promote eye donation and the Missouri donor registry in your community, the Eye Bank's public relations team is here to help. Contact Nicole Plegge at 800-283-1982, ext. 115 or at nplegge@mlerf.org to order any of the following materials for your club:

• Missouri donor registry brochures and handouts
• Eye Bank brochures
• NEDM posters, table tents and rack cards

The Eye Bank and those we serve thank the Lions for your continued support of eye donation in Missouri!

Top Foundation Contributors for 7/1/09 - 1/31/10

The following lists the Top Giving Lions Clubs for the current fiscal year to date.

• Concord Village Lions - $12,000
• Wardsville Lions - $4,000
• First Capitol Lions - $3,400
• Hermann Lions - $3,000
• Paris Lions - $2,500
• Moscow Mills Lions - $2,390
• Sedalia Lions - $2,175
• Owensville Lions - $2,000
• Branson-Hollister Lions - $2,000
• Cape Girardeau Lions - $2,000
• Webster Groves Lions - $2,000
• Independence Noland Road Lions - $2,000

Donor Services Center Grant Update

As of February 11, 2010, the Foundation is still $4,405.82 short of meeting our goal of $29,680.82 to apply for a grant from LCIF to help fund our new Eye Bank Donor Services Center (DSC) and better meet our donor families' needs.

For more information on the DSC or to allocate a prior donation to this grant, please contact us at 800-283-1982, ext. 115 or at nplegge@mlerf.org.

Thank you to all the Lions clubs who have contributed so far to this cause!

Monthly Program Stats

Take a look at what we're doing in your community! Visit our Foundation statistics page to review monthly program stats for your Lions district.

Upcoming Dates to Remember

Free Glaucoma & Amblyopia Screenings
Western Farm Show
February 19-21, 2010
American Royal Complex
1701 American Royal Court
Kansas City, MO 64102

Foundation Board of Directors Meeting
March 27, 2010, 9:00 a.m.
Foundation Library
404 Portland St.
Columbia, MO 65201

Foundation Board of Directors Meeting and Educational Forum
June 12, 2010, 9:00 a.m.
American Legion Hall
600 Legion Lane
Columbia, MO 65201

50th Anniversary Luncheon
June 12, 2010, 12:00 p.m.
American Legion Hall
600 Legion Lane
Columbia, MO 65201

Foundation board meetings are open to all Missouri Lions. For more information, contact info@mlerf.org.