The Fergus Lions Club had excellent weather for its annual Walk for Guide Dogs fundraiser.
The club has been holding the walk for about ten years, and raised thousands of dollars to help train guide dogs.
“One dog costs $6,000,” to train said club walk chairman Claude Lacroix. “We do our bit, and other clubs do their bit.”
This year, the Fergus club raised just under $2,000 for the 2.5km walk that started at the Forfar Street Ball diamond and made use of the walking trail to complete the circuit.
The Lions International Club has been working to raise cash to help the sight impaired for many years, and paying for the training of guide dogs is a major part of that effort. It began when a famous person asked the club to help by issuing it a challenge.
In 1925, Helen Keller challenged Lions to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness" during the association’s international convention.
Today, the club is recognized worldwide for its service to the blind and visually impaired. The Lions also demonstrate their commitment to sight conservation through eyeglass recycling, sight partnerships and countless other sight services.
The club also pays for the training of dogs for the hearing impaired and those that suffer other handicaps.
The Lions ambitious SightFirst Program has restored sight through cataract surgeries, prevented serious vision loss and improved eye care services for hundreds of millions of adults and children.
To continue and expand that effort, Lions have launched Campaign SightFirst II, with a goal of raising at least US$150 million.
