Local residents have the opportunity next week to enjoy chili and soup and help fund a good cause.
The Tellico Village Lions Club will host its annual Chili and Soup Dinner 4-7 p.m. Monday at the Yacht Club.
The club has sponsored the annual dinner for more than 20 years, with part of the net proceeds supporting the KidsSight USA program.
The program is a component of Lions Club International’s commitment to sight preservation initiated by Helen Keller, who was keynote speaker at the 1925 Lions Clubs International Convention. Keller called for club members to “be the knights of the blind” in the crusade against darkness.
“KidSight USA is a nationwide program to ensure our children receive eye screenings and follow-up care when needed,” Curt Isakson, vision chair for the Village club, said. “Locally, we train and mobilize our team to easily and efficiently screen the vision health of over 3,000 pre-k and school children in Loudon County each year.
“Our screeners love to participate in the events because working with children is always fun — and frequently a surprise when you get an unexpected hug from a youngster,” he added.
KidsSight grew from a project started in the late 1990s by four universities and several neighboring Lions clubs. Supported by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee was one of the initial four states involved.
Tennessee Lions clubs continue to be leaders in the effort. In 2014, a national conference of participating states and Lions International committed and partnered with leading eye scanning equipment corporations to develop a national program.
The latest program annually scans nearly 1 million children under 7 years old, including thousands locally.
The effort is important because 80% of a child’s learning is through their vision, and the initiative has helped enable hundreds of thousands of children to have better educational and social experiences through proper vision care.
“We expect this year’s event to sell out and serve over 500 people,” Perry Sylvester, chili event director for the Village club, said. “It takes a lot of work from dozens of Lions members and the Yacht Club staff. The event helps us turn the generosity of our neighbors and friends into a service that improves the community health and well-being of our children.”
Tickets are $18 at the door or $15 in advance and available at Sloan’s Village Home Center, Village Salon and United Community Bank in Tellico Village, or from any Lions Club member.
The club meets at 8:15 a.m. the first and third Tuesdays of the month at Little Italy of Tellico Village. For more information or to attend a meeting, visit online at tellicovillage.tnlions.org.
