One of the missions of Lions Club International is to help prevent avoidable blindness and improve quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired, and Peñasco Lions are helping.
The Puerto Peñasco Lions Club, and Phoenix Philippine-American Lions, in conjunction with Dr. Mark Swanson’s Swann Lazer Institute on Simon Morua, brought two eye surgeons, four medical doctors and 10 registered nurses to Puerto Peñasco where they conducted 30 cataract surgeries and screened 800 people for diabetes, hypertension and vision disorders, in just three days.
Peñasco Lion Gerry Caballero said, “The services were provided for low-income, elderly people who could not otherwise afford corrective cataract surgery, which would cost up to $500 here. Costs were covered by the two clubs.”
For the people whose eye exams showed the need for corrective lenses, prescriptions were written, glasses made and given to the patients at no cost to them.
“In April we do vision screenings in the schools, grades one through eight, giving eye exams and following up with glasses for the children who need them,” Caballero said. “We also give away reading glasses for anyone in need.”
Lions Club International has eight areas of service: to provide humanitarian aid, support youth to make positive choices and lead productive lives, provide support for families facing childhood cancer, work to reduce the prevalence of diabetes, provide immediate and long-term support following natural disasters, protect the environment to create healthier communities, and to alleviate hunger.
During the three-day clinic, the club also gathered and donated 100 boxes of food through Our Lady of Guadalupe Church for those in need.
The local Lions Club has dwindled to just a handful of active members and is eager to boost participation. “There is so much more we could do with more helping hands,” Caballero said. He is especially interested in tackling environmental issues that are beginning to have a serious effect on Rocky Point and all of those who live and visit here.
Seasonal and full-time residents who are looking for a rewarding, productive way to help others can contact Caballero at 480-695-4488 (US) or +52 638-114-8139 to learn more about the Club and its mission.
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Volunteer medical professionals from the Phoenix Philippine-American and Peñasco Lions Clubs outside the Swann vision clinic in Rocky Point where they treated low-income, elderly residents recently.
Volunteers sign in at the Swann Optica center before beginning three days of cataract surgery, vision screenings and blood test.
