The Bay Ridge Lions Club was honored for their contributions to the sight impaired during a barbecue lunch in Yorktown Heights courtesy of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
Past Lions presidents from Bay Ridge — Joan Curran and Marilyn Mannino — presented a check for two Guiding Eyes dogs, bringing that days’ fund-raising total to $27,400.
Attendees at the luncheon were treated to a tour of Guiding Eyes’ kennels, operating facility and the only veterinary MRI in the world. Guiding Eyes for the Blind breeds and trains service dogs for the blind and, on this occasion, also “graduated” 12 people and their dogs, who are to accompany their partners to various parts of the US.
Additionally, a new program, “Heeling Autism,” was announced by Caroline McCabe Sandler, director of the program. While still in its infancy, it has been a huge success, stated McCabe Sandler.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind was founded in 1954 in order to give the virtually sight impaired independence, personal freedom and dignity by providing them with the finest breed and trained animals in the world. The average cost of training a guide dog is about $45,000. It costs $60,000 to provide training and support to a Heeling Autism family.
Many families become involved in the puppy raising program, which means taking a dog home to give him love, care and special training while he is growing. A special trainer will meet with the family once a week to keep them on the right track.
Once in a great while, the dog does not pass muster and the family may be able to keep the dog.
The Bay Ridge Lions will also be collecting unused cell phones to raise money for this purpose and for the local food pantries. The Lions hope to have a box in the Harbor Fitness Club, Starbucks and anyone who is open to this kind of fundraising.
For more about the Bay Ridge Lions do, go totheir Web site at www.geocities.com/bayridgelions or email bayridgelions@yahoo.com. You can also go to www.guidingeyes.org to learn more about Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
