[nabs-l] Lions Club

Thu Sep 9 06:34:11 UTC 2010

This is great the discussion on the Lions Club and its role in assisting the blind.
Joe my position is not contradicting or at least I do not think so. I do stand by my clame that the Lions clubs do a lot of good for the blind including the projects that I mentioned and those that Rob mentioned. However, all of these projects do require mone and therefore fundraising is necessary, but raising money in a way which feeds into what society already thinks about the blind that we are a charity case unable to work therefore must result in begging for money is not really helpful. As Rob mentioned that every Lion Club must evaluate their ability and yes some may be able to hold large fundraisers such as the golf tornaments and others must do smaller fundraisers such as selling candybars, but stand on the street corner even though raised your Lions Club $600 reinforces the false proseption that society holds about blind people. Having said that, I think there is nothing wrong withwriting letters or making phone calls asking for donations because
 all charities including the blind charities such as the NFB and ACB have to do that. It’s just the nature of running a non-profit organization and it does not reinforces the negative attitude about blindness because the purpose is clear to raise money to continue the work the Lions are doing and meet its purpose. There is nothing wrong with asking the Lions to go vote for the NFB Youth Slam in the Pepsi Challenge because the Lions are a friend to the blind interested in our well-being and there is a challenge for a group which gets the most votes for a large amount of money and the NFB is asking all their friends to go vote for the NFB. The difference is that we are not standing in frunt of Walmart saying “would you like to give money to help the blind”? Instead we are saying “the NFB Youth Slam is competing against a number of sighted kids for some money and would you go vote for the NFB because you support our work and are proud that we are
 competing in something tuff?” Having said all that the Lions are good people with good intentions and reinforcing the negative attitudes about blindness is not something they are intending. So I think that we as blind people collectively should inform the Lions that we do not agree with this and it would really help if the two major blind organizations the NFB and ACB would do the same.
Anmol

--- On Wed, 9/8/10, Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Lions Club
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 2:57 PM
> Anmol,
> 
> Your position sounds a little contradicting.  On the
> one hand you claim the
> Lions Club does a lot of good including: scholarships,
> conference
> sponsorships and trainings.  On the other hand you
> claim you cannot get
> behind something that asks for money to support the
> blind.  So, which is it?
> 
> I would argue we could do plenty to educate the Lions Club
> on what the blind
> can and cannot do.  They are a resource, and for
> example, could add that
> many more votes to this Pepsi Challenge campaign. 
> And, if you think of it,
> how would that be different from asking for money outside a
> Walmart?
> 
> Joe
> 
> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up
> their sleeves,
> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at
> all."--Sam Ewing 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
> 
> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of Anmol Bhatia
> Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 3:25 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Lions Club
> 
> Well George I would respectfully disagree that the Lions
> Club 
> has not done much to help the blind. Many Lions have given
> 
> scholarship to blind students, supported many blind
> individuals 
> to attend various conferences and trainings and are the
> biggest 
> funders of the Lions World Services for the Blind in Little
> 
> Rock Arkansas. Some may have negative oppinion and frankly
> I 
> have personally witnessed somethings that LWSB could do
> better, 
> yet its fair to say that LWSB has given opportunities to
> many 
> blind people for independent training and get training for
> a 
> job. So the Lions have done alot of good for the blind.
> Infact 
> they have done more for the blind not being a blind 
> organization then any other not blind organization. NFB and
> ACB 
> are blind organizations run by the blind and for the blind
> so 
> yes they have and will do more for the blind then Lions or
> any 
> other organizations. I would join one because of the work
> they 
> do, but I can not support something that
>  requires asking for money to help the blind.
> Anmol
> I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me
> 
> sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times;
> but it 
> is vague, like a breeze among flowers.
> Hellen Keller
> 
> 
> --- On Wed, 9/8/10, Jorge Paez <jorgeapaez at mac.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > From: Jorge Paez <jorgeapaez at mac.com>
> > Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Lions Club
> > To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing
> list" 
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> > Date: Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 1:56 PM
> > Anmol:
> > Yes, it bothers me much--though I don't have a
> Walmart,
> > I've seen that sort of stuff.
> > Not to be harsh,
> > but what has the "Lions Club" ever done for the
> blind?
> > 
> > The NFB has done a noticable much more.
> > 
> > Sorry if I'm being critical but I've never seen a
> blind
> > person talk to me about "how good the Lion Club was."
> > 
> > They help, I know, but never the blind, not in my
> > experience.
> > 
> > 
> > Jorge
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > On Sep 8, 2010, at 2:39 PM, Anmol Bhatia wrote:
> > 
> > > Does it bother any of you when the Lions Club sit
> in
> > frunt of Walmart and ask for money to help the blind?
> This
> > has been something that has bothering me for a long
> time and
> > mostly the reason why I have not joined one. Lions do
> a lot
> > of good for the blind and I have been lucky to speak
> to a
> > few Lions Clubs, but helping the blind in expense of
> > reinforcing the sterotype that society has about the
> blind
> > to me does not really helpful to our well being and
> holds us
> > back in society. Its been something that has been
> bugging me
> > for years, but I was not sure if it is just me or if
> there
> > are other blind individuals who feel the same. I
> finally
> > decide to ask when a friend of mine who has mentioned
> about
> > joing a organization for the blind said that she going
> to
> > get involved in the Lions club and sit in frunt of
> Walmart.
> > It would be interesting to hear what everyone has to
> think
> > about this.
> > > 
> > > Anmol
> > > 
> > > 
> > > I seldom think about my limitations, and they
> never
> > make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning
> at
> > times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers.
> > > Hellen Keller
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
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>       
> 
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