LION JOHN NELSON RECEIVES
"OLDER AMERICAN SERVICE AWARD"
For 2006
By Marva Murphy
The motto of Lions Clubs International when established in 1917, became We
Serve. Eight years later, Helen Keller addressed a Lions International Convention and challenged the members to become
Knights of the Blind. Since that time, Lions around the world have focused on preservation of sight, and assistance to the blind. Optometrist John Nelson, a Burbank resident since 1968, was a perfect fit for the Burbank Noon Lions.
Quietly working behind the scenes, year after year, John has volunteered his services to provide eye exams and glasses to low income Burbank residents in conjunction with the Lions Club. During the past 6 years, John has been providing the same service to referrals from BTAC, via the Lions'
Indigent Eye Care project. More than 100 people have received exams and glasses at no cost via the
Indigent Eye Care program, and several hundred others have benefited over the years.
Additionally, John donates his services weekly to the MEND eye clinic, serving low income in the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley.
It is also necessary to explain that beyond John's volunteering and contributions via his professional services, he has been an active participant in the Burbank Noon Lions club activities. This includes hosting dances for Burbank Center for the Retarded, collecting money for the Salvation Army during the holidays for Red Kettle Days, providing BBQ lunch and dinner for the families residing at Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House, serving refreshments at the City's Teen Dances and assisting with eye screening for the Lions Eyemobile to name a few. This also includes supporting the club's fundraising efforts to sponsor other projects in the community. Part of these funds has helped provide large letter keyboards for the Senior Centers (in use by Tuttle at this time) and large print books in our libraries for those with vision impairments.
John has definitely met the challenge as a knight of the Blind directly by donating his own professional services, as well as indirectly, by continuing to help the Lions club assist low vision Burbank residents
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