River Edge Lions Club seeks donations to support sight-related disability programs

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to cancel several fundraising events, the River Edge Lions Club is putting out a call for donations to help those with sight-related disabilities.

Helping people with sight-related issues is a long-established initiative that Lions Clubs around the world have worked on for years, said Peter Dunsay, treasurer of the River Edge Lions Club.

Since 1990, the international group’s Sight First initiative has raised more than $372 million for over 1,398 projects in 117 countries, including 9.6 million cataract surgeries performed to restore sight and 2.3 million professional eye care and community health workers trained, among other accomplishments.

The pandemic forced the River Edge branch to cancel regular fundraising events such as the White Cane Fund Drives and the Dine to Donate campaign, Dunsay said.

“We used to do the pancake breakfast and spaghetti dinner, so now we rely on virtual means to reach out to people to receive donations,” he said.

About 50% of the donations will support local community initiatives, one of which includes a summer camp for blind children at Rockaway’s Camp Marcella. Other projects the club was able to support through donations in the past include supporting eye banks, leader dog training, eye clinics and rehabilitation centers.

Funding also helps the organization fulfill other initiatives, such as supporting local Boy and Girl Scouts, River Edge Girls Athletic League, River Edge Cultural Center, scholarships for River Dell High School and many other local groups.

Although in-person fundraising events for the Lions Club have not yet returned, Dunsay believes attendance may take a while to build back to pre-pandemic levels once the group decides to host events again.

“People are creatures of habit,” he said. “When they’ve always come to the pancake breakfast, they will, but then some people move out of town and people move in who don’t have a history of coming. It takes a while for word of mouth to get around again.”

The Lions Club is asking for tax-deductible donations, payable to the River Edge Lions Club, P.O. Box, 33, River Edge, NJ 07661.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: River Edge Lions Club seeks donations for sight-related programs