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THE FALLS CHURCH LIONS PRIDE |
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ACTIVITIES |
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Cole’s Story Reported by Lion Chuck Mandelbaum* Saturday, July 26, 2008 Cole was having a bad day at the Lions of Virginia Area Medical/ Remote Area Medical mission in Wise, Virginia. Only five years old, his grandmother and aunt` woke him up at 4:30 a.m. to get free for medical care. The first wait was for a ticket to enter the health fair. The mass of people in the registration area confused and scared him. And then came the LINES – sight and hearing screening, eye examinations for him and his grandmother, dental treatment for all, eyeglass ordering, general medicine, mammography, and on and on and on. |
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By the time 4:30 p.m. rolled around, all Cole could do was to look at grandmother and say. “Time for night-night.” Grandmother held up his head so he could receive his new eyeglasses. She and the optician convinced him to open his eyes long enough to check if the glasses fit right. Then, grandmother took him in her arms; he tucked his head against her neck and fell asleep. As the two of them exited the eyeglass dispensing tent the sun woke Cole up. He looked around. Almost as if he were shocked by electricity, Cole straightened out and smiled the biggest smile you ever saw. You see, Cole is very farsighted. Until that moment Cole had never seen anything clearly during his short life. |
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It was more than a little boy could handle. He jumped down, ran as fast as he could across the big tent, jumped in the optician’s, Mike Payne’s, arms and gave him the biggest hug and kiss ever. This, friends and colleagues, is why I believe, We Serve.______________ |
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Past President of the
Falls Church Lions Club and Chief Operating Officer of the Lions Eyeglass
Recycling Center of Northern Virginia. Together with Lion Ray Guin of the
James River Lions Club (Richmond, VA) he leads th Optical Services, eyeglass
dispensing, portions of the overall mission. Note: Cole’s eyeglasses were newly manufactured in a mobile laboratory owned by Remote Area Medical and not recycled eyeglasses.\
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