Lions For the Blind Project

Lions For the Blind Project

Located at

Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually

Impaired

Lions Home for the Blind

History

The Lions Home for the Blind was incorporated on July 24, 1974 founded by Lion Oscar Vidal and other Lions from Cuba and South

Florida.

For 29 years The Lions Home for the Blind provided daily care for low-income blind persons living in Miami-Dade County.

In 2006 Lions for the Blind moved its activities to the modern facility of the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind

and Visually impaired

Social Group Activities is a Lions Project

As a result the Home was closed, the blind joined the Miami Lighthouse, and a special department for Social Group Activities was set up, headed by the same teacher

who had been at the Home, Lion Nelba Gonzalez.

Lion Nelba studied in Cuba and got her degree in accounting in 1985. In 1990 she applied and got a position at The National Rehabilitation Center for The Blind and visually impaired in Cuba, where she was trained by Norwegian specialists in teaching blind and visually impaired people. This training qualified her to teach activities such as Orientation and Mobility, Personal Management, Braille system in Spanish and other skills that were needed to provide training in rehabilitation of the blind and visually impaired. In 1991, she received additional training in art therapy specializing in teaching arts and crafts to blind and visually impaired people.

When she left Cuba in 2004 she was hired by The Lions Home for the Blind and has continued to work with the blind and visually impaired at Miami Lighthouse.

The move made it possible to expand from serving 25 primarily Hispanic blind adults to over 150 adults

Lions for the Blind Project at Miami Lighthouse serves people from all over the world living in South Florida: 70% Hispanic, 15% African American and Haitian and 15% Others. This would not have been

possible at the old facility.

Lions for the Blind provide all the materials for the art classes and also sponsor field trips and social events for our blind clients.

Lions for the Blind Project provides 8 hours of daily activities for blind and visually impaired persons:

Ceramic Class

Arts and Crafts

Macramé Jewelry

Painting

Exercise classMusic class

Lunch and coffee break

The Lions for the Blind Project also provides materials for classes during the summer months for children. This past year a ceramic pillar hand made by blind and visually impaired children's was created in honor of all Lions and

entitled “The art of love”.

Low-income blind do not have access to as many social events as the sighted population so bingo parties, picnics, fieldtrips, health

fairs, the Calle Ocho Carnival, Thanksgiving Dinner for 200 persons and other community events including Coral Gables Spanish Heritage Festival are encompassed in the Project.

Social Group Activities clients interacting with the community at Social Events

Each year Lions Project for the Blind co-sponsors the Lions White Cane Day celebration which includes a fund raising Walkathon on Calle Ocho, a section of which is closed off by the City of Miami Police and Fire departments for blind walkers and their supporters to raise awareness for the White Cane Safety Laws.

Lions Project for the Blind utilizes its 501(c)(3) status to assist the Lions District and participating Clubs to obtain grants which they could not have obtained on their own. Among them each year multiple grants are received for the Back to School Project with Lions Project for the Blind assistance.

The newest annual event is a Sunday afternoon Dinner Dance for over 150. Lions Project for the Blind is the only entity in the county organizing social events especially for the blind.

We invite you to visit

Lions for the Blind project is located on the second floor of the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired 601 SW 8th Avenue, Miami Florida 33130

For more information contact Lion Nelba Gonzalez

Ph: 305-856-2288 Cell 786-294-8912

Email [email protected]

Credits

Text: Lion Alan Campbel

Photos: Lion Cameron Sisser

Animation: Lion Nelba Gonzalez

Music by Singer

Natalia Sulca

Blind graduate of the Miami Lighthouse

Better Chance Music Production Program™