Redmond man honored for 63 years with Lions
The Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation hosted its Annual Hall of Fame Gala at the Tualatin Country Club on Saturday to honor the Lions history and outstanding work in communities all around the state.
The OLSHF Hall of Fame was established to honor, memorialize, and encourage outstanding leadership and service on behalf of the Foundation’s mission to screen, treat, save and restore sight and hearing for those in need.
At the event, three Lions were inducted into the Hall of Fame – Redmond Lion Tom Bessonette, Lake Grove Lion William Page Douglas (posthumously), and Beaverton Lion Wally Anderson – joining 13 other Lions who have left a significant legacy of serving others.
The very first member of the Hall of Fame was Dr. Richard Chenoweth, who was recognized with an OLSHF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Gala in 2009.
Due to the contributions of these inductees and their Lions Clubs, OLSHF assists thousands of Oregonians with sight and hearing issues who have nowhere else to turn for help.
Page Douglas left a generous bequest to OLSHF ensuring our ability to serve more people in need.
Tom Bessonette, a Lion for 63 years, actively served in many different capacities – Zone Chairman, Deputy District Governor, District Governor and OLSHF’s Executive Committee Chair.
Wally Anderson has worked with the Mobile Health Screening Program for 11 years traveling more than 15,000 miles throughout the state to screen the sight and hearing of 300,000 people – school children as well as adults, discovering thousands of potential health issues.
For nearly 90 years, Lions Club members have fulfilled a promise to Helen Keller to serve as Knights of the Blind by addressing preventable sight and hearing loss to those in need. In Oregon, children, families or adults lacking resources are helped with cataract surgeries, eye exams, new eyeglasses, hearing exams and new hearing aids as well as health screenings.
About OLSHF:
Our mission is to screen, treat, save and restore sight and hearing for those in need. Last year, 79,420 people were screened statewide through our Mobile Health Screening Program, 96% of which were children at an average cost of less than $4.00 per person. In addition, we have distributed over 2,300 gift vouchers for free eye exams and eyeglasses in partnership with Vision Service Plan and Prevent Blindness America. We also provide the gift of sight to people in developing countries with nearly 72,000 eyeglasses shipped and distributed through mission work. In the last 12 months, we have also given over $1 million in brand new hearing aids to those in need, through a partnership with All-American Hearing Centers. Learn more at www.olshf.org or www.facebook.com/olshf .
About Lions Clubs International:
Lions Clubs International is a service organization with 1.35 million members in 46,000 clubs around the globe. Started in 1917, Lions Clubs aim to provide services to blind and visually impaired individuals, as well as provide other services and humanitarian projects for local communities. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit www.lionsclubs.org .
