The eradication of preventable eye diseases is the main objective of the incoming President of the Freeport Lions Club, Aira Newball, who presented her goals for the 2008 – 2009 term at a recently held installation dinner at the Freeport Lions Club Sight Centre.

"We in the Freeport Lions Club have a long legacy of service to the blind and visually impaired in our community," Newball told the members of the Lions Club and their guests, adding that she, along with her new board, will ensure that this vital service to the less fortunate in our community will continue.

The Freeport Lions Club is a part of the largest service organization in the world, Lions International, with 1.3 million members in over 202 countries and geographical areas. Sight conservation has been a major initiative of the Lions Clubs worldwide since being challenged by Helen Keller in 1925. Keller urged the Lions to become "Knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness."

To strengthen the fight against blindness, Newball said she and her board will continue to provide sight screening, especially in the Eastern and Western ends of the island; provide glaucoma screening; coordinate school visits with eye care professionals to educate youngsters on the importance of proper eye care; provide eye tests, glasses and wherever necessary to help with surgeries for the correction of vision problems.

The 2008-2009 board of the Freeport Lions Club in-cludes: 1st vice-president Lion Prince Thompson; 2nd vice-president Lion Trevor Turnquest; 3rd vice-president Lion Renee Hall; Treasurer Lion Clarence Reckley; Secretary Lion Clydeisha Grant; Lion Tamer Lion Wilfred Wilkinson; Tail Twis-ter Lion Charles Saunders; Membership Chairman Lion Mark Edgecombe; Sight Conservation Chairman Lion Jacob Cooper; One Year Directors Lions Stephanie Fraser and Ann Rogers; and Two Year Directors Lions Tyrone Joffre and Majorie Ferguson.

The board was encouraged to have the right attitude and to empower their members by the guest speaker of the evening, Barbara Dionne Smith-Bowe, Manager of Mortgages RBC Finco.

Bowe told the incoming president and her board to challenge the members to achieve the goals set for the club, to come up with creative solutions and, most importantly, to have the right attitude.

She noted that many times the attitude we show people is the attitude we get back. Therefore, if the board and the members of the Freeport Lions Club exhibit a positive attitude in all of their endeavours, the majority of the time a positive response will be returned, she furthered.

In addition to their work with sight, the new president and her board will strive to establish new Lions Clubs in Nassau and Abaco and assist older or handicapped persons in our community who find it difficult to keep their yards clean or may need minor repairs on their homes.

Newball ended the evening by reminding the Lions that, "A chain is as strong as it's weakest link, so I encourage all of you to do your part to ensure the Freeport Lions Club is operating at full strength."