Hello everybody. Today I am here with Past District Governor Lion Terry Robertson. And I believe we’re going to find out why Lion Terry became a Lion. So Terry, can you share your story with us?
I’d love to. It’s a story that goes back into the 1980’s. Fort Vancouver Lions,
and the Spartans Drum and Bugle Corps that I was part of, because our sons played in it, shared a fireworks stand. And believe it or not, someone asked me to join. And I said yes. And so I attended the meetings, and discovered that Lionism was deeply involved in the service of the hearing and especially the sight impaired. Which became a very strong passion of mine.
Great. I know that a lot of Lions choose to become a Lion and then they stay for different reasons. Can you tell us how long you’ve been a Lion?
And why did you remain a Lion?
Well, yes. It’s kind of a short story in one respect. I have been a Lion for 37 years this year. The main reason was my passion for the visually impaired. And I was asked to serve on, goes back a long ways, The Lions Sight Conservation of the State of Washington and Northern Idaho. I served on that board of directors and about 30 plus years later when it was called Sight Life and I work my way all the way through as chairman of the board. I turned it over to another individual. The primary function of the Sight Foundation and Sight Life is to give people the gift of sight. There’s no more wonderful feeling than being involved and let somebody see again. And through both those foundations, we have given the gift of sight to starting in just the state of Washington and Washington and Northern Idaho, when it became Sight Life, we stepped out and started going various places in the world like South Africa, and I became chairman of the board and it today the mission of that Lions Foundation is to eradicate Corneal Blindness by the year 2050.
Wow, that’s in the world. Yep in the world.
If I’m correct Clark County has some sort of a Sight Foundation here locally. Can you share a little bit about what that would be?
Yes, I’d love to. And I was deeply involved in that too. And served as chairman of the board for a period of time. The Clark County Sight Foundation is formed by the Lions Clubs of Clark County. And their primary function is to service the people of Clark County that cannot afford eyeglasses to see. And through that they provide tests through the Foundation the Clark County Foundation. They provide eye tests and Eyeglasses to people that qualify and it is income-based. Low income people have to qualify first there, and then through a series of tests, but it’s a marvelous foundation. And by the way, Clark County also has a Hearing Foundation that provides, not cheap, state-of-the-art hearing devices
for low-income people here in Clark County.
So a lot of the Lion fundraisers go to support these two foundations. Is that right?
That is correct. That’s what Lions were originally founded. If we go all the way back to about the second year of Lionism Helen Keller a visually impaired and hearing impaired individual, spoke to a Lions convention and asked all those there, this was back in the 1930’s, become Knights for the Blind. What an honor to be called that. And since then that’s what Lions have become all around the world. Knights for the Blind.
Great. So if we have person that potentially wants to be a Lion, and they’re watching this. Is there any piece of advice that you would give them?
Well, yes. I would say there are a number of Lions Clubs in Clark County and they would love to have, where ever you live, there’s a Lions Club fairly close. I would ask you to go on the Internet and look up Lions Clubs of Clark County, pick one that’s close to you, and just call them and say you’d like to see what they’re all about.
Okay. Thank you for your time Terry. You have a great day.
Thank you. You also.
