The Yazoo City Lions Club screened nearly 400 children this week in an effort to identify those with sight problems.
The local civic club visited McCoy Elementary School Wednesday morning to provide free vision screenings to third and fifth graders. A total of 393 students, 233 third graders and 160 fifth graders, were screened within two hours.
The Lions Club referred 68 students for further testing.
“It was such a good feeling to know that I was doing something that would help the students at McCoy Elementary School,” said Vernon Sikes, a Lions Club member. “It's a good feeling that surpasses any other.”
Since Lions Clubs International was founded in 1917, Lions have worked on projects designed to prevent blindness, restore eyesight and improve eye health and eye care for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Indeed, sight is one of Lions defining causes.
Local efforts were spearheaded by David McPhail, chairman of the sight and hearing committee, after he visited a similar screening in Union schools two weeks ago.
“I made it possible for us to be efficient the first time we did it,” he said.
McPhail touched based with Dr. Richard Chano, McCoy’s principal, who was eager to jump onboard.
“When I met with Dr. Chano about us doing the screening, he was excited to know that our club had an interest in the city schools,” McPhail said. “I told him that our club had recently made a commitment to be more involved in serving our local community.”
And the students were excited to be screened for sight as well.
“I enjoyed meeting and talking with the children,” said Lion Ron Wilkinson. “They were all very courteous.”
The screening process took about a minute per child.The speedy yet efficient process was well received overall.
“I genuinely feel that the students realized we were there to help them,” Sikes said.
McPhail said he was proud that the local club was able to present its core mission to local children.
“Obviously, the importance of the screenings is to identify young students with vision problems that may be hindering their education,” McPhail said. “They, nor their teachers or parents, may realize they have poor vision. Our screening is just the first step.”
McPhail added that the more important part of this is the follow-up.
“Dr. Chano told me when I delivered the results to him that the parents of the 68 students who failed the sight screening would be notified,” McPhail said.
McPhail said the Lions Club will conduct the vision screenings again next year.
“Identifying those students who are having eyesight problems so they can be helped can have nothing less than a positive impact on their entire lives,” Sikes said.
