PORTLAND, November 10, 2018 – The Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation (‘OLSHF’) held its annual awards dinner and fundraising gala this evening at the Elysian Ballroom in downtown Portland. 

Among the gala’s awards and award recipients were the following:

The ‘ROAR Hearing Provider of the Year’ award was presented to Gateway Hearing Aid Center.  Owner and hearing specialist Max Clark has been in the hearing aid business for over 25 years. Gateway Hearing partners with over 15 Lions Clubs and
has dispensed 250 hearing aids in the last 3 years. Together they have helped thousands of Oregonians with life changing hearing aid assistance. The partnership between Gateway Hearing Aid Center, OLSHF, and the Oregon Lions is invaluable and crucial to the health of our communities.

The ‘Patient Care/Mission Cataract Provider of the Year’ award was presented to Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute.  Over the years, PCLI has provided many free cataract surgeries for Oregonians in need at their Portland, Kennewick and Tualatin locations. Their doctors and staff treat patients with the utmost compassion and without any bias. The comfortable atmosphere they provide reassures patients and minimizes their fear of the surgery.

The ‘Community Partner of the Year’ award was presented to Central City Concern – Community Volunteer Corps and Old Town Clinic. CCC provides “comprehensive solutions to ending homelessness and achieving self-sufficiency”. Thanks to our partnership with CCC, we sorted thousands of donated glasses that have been collected by Oregon Lions. We organize sorting parties with CCC at our warehouse and then send the glasses to Coffee Creek Correctional Facility where through the Eyeglass Education Program the glasses are recycled and calibrated. Further, OLSHF’s LEAP Optical Finishing Lab also partners with the Old Town Clinic to provide new eyeglasses to people in need. This partnership provides sight not only for people in our community but, through international mission trips, to people all over the world.

The ‘Vision Provider of the Year’ award was presented to Dr. Barbara Briscoe/ Founders Clinic-Volunteers in Medicine Clackamas. Since our partnership began in 2015, Dr. Briscoe has ordered more than 300 pairs of glasses for patients at her clinic and to patients referred by the local Lions Clubs. Because of her dedication to help people who are uninsured or underinsured and below the 200% poverty level, she volunteers as an optometrist at the Founders Clinic where hundreds of Oregonians have received complete, free eye exams and received low cost glasses through the Optical Finishing Lab.

The ‘Funder of the Year’ award was presented to Eugene Hearing and Speech Center.  For nearly 60 years, the Eugene Hearing & Speech Center served clients with a wide range of speech and audiology needs. As a result of closing their practice, a generous gift in the past year for hearing services will sustain the OLSHF hearing aid program for many years. The EHSC Board’s belief in our mission speaks to our reputation not only in Lane County but statewide. These funds will be stewarded with great care in order to help as many people as possible.

About OLSHF:

Our mission is to screen, treat, save and restore sight and hearing in partnership with Lions Clubs. Our School Vision Screening Program has screened over a million Oregon children since 1994. In 2015, OLSHF launched its own Optical Finishing Lab and we now edge over 2,500 new eyeglasses for people who qualify every year. Our ROAR Hearing Assistance Program provides low cost new or refurbished hearing aids to people in need. We also provide the gift of sight to people in developing countries with eyeglasses shipped and distributed through international mission work. Please visit www.OLSHF.org or www.facebook.com/OLSHF to learn more about our programs!

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.

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