According to the story detailed by Lion Folashade Sanni Lawal, In 1925, Lions Club International featured Helen Keller as the guest speaker.
Through her interpreter, Helen Keller challenged the Lions to constitute themselves as “Knight of the Blind” in a crusade against blindness.
As a result, Lions Clubs International sponsors thousands of the blind and visually impaired around the world each year.
The story manifested itself on June 1st 2022 as members of Lions club District 404A1 Ikorodu made do the injunction made by the late Helen Keller, reaching out to the blind folks across Ikorodu division.
It started with an awareness walk, conveying to residents the need to support the visually impaired individuals within the communities, taken off from Homat group of schools along Igbogbo road, stretching Bashorun avenue down to Adeboruwa’s palace and ending at Talabi Crescent in Igbogbo.
Ably led by Lion Folashade Sanni Lawal, Chairperson Helen Keller Day 2022 chaperoned by an incoming district governor, Lion Anogwi Anyanwu, the walk with the visually impaired folks down to the blind community was afterwards followed by a one on one talk with Lion Taiwo Amoo, chairman Nigeria association of blinds Ikorodu branch, who is also visually impaired.
Incoming DG, Lion Anyanwu Anogwi in his brief remark urged clubs to infuse more projects for the visually impaired into their calender in order to impact more lives around the community, adding that ‘loss of sight is not a loss of life’.
Lion Taiwo Amoo who was Vice President of Lagos Central Lions Club and Charter President Lagos Legend Lions Club noted to all members present that Lion’s code of behaviour has kept him striding while using the forum to thank the club for their perpetual support.
Lion Kola Oyekanmi who spoke on the Call to Service the Blind emphasised different ways the visually impaired society can be carried along in daily activities.
Lion Kola stated, “The most important thing you can do for a blind person, or any person, is to be friendly, include them socially and engage in conversation with them”.
“Communicate clearly with them because of their inability to interpret body language, it is very important to communicate plainly with your words when speaking to people who are blind”
“When you want to communicate with them, speak to them, not the person they are with. There is nothing that frustrates blind people more than people thinking they are non-verbal or incapable of having a conversation”.
“Non-sighted people do not enjoy being treated as if they are incompetent, so speak directly to them, rather than their companion”. Lion Kola asserted
While donating white canes and lots of food items to the course which was administered by Lion Anogwi Anyanwu, Lion Folashade Sanni Lawal further expressed her profound gratitude to the entire Lions club of District 404A1 for their overwhelming support in making the Helen Keller day 2022 a success, acknowledging their aid with accredited badge presentation.
Music performance was later bestowed by the Pain and Pleasure band (group of blind musicians).
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