Page 50 - PR's - People & Culture

Local Filipina helps create Lions SightFirst Foundation
A proud Filipino tradition of public service is part of the heritage of all Filipinos
Saving Vision for Children and Seniors Became a Cru- sade for a Local Filipina
As a young girl growing up in the Philippines Noni Rybka wit- nessed rsthand the tragedy of loss of sight. Cataracts are a common enemy of millions of people, worldwide and in time always result in a loss of vision, sometimes total blindness.
This type of blindness or reduc- tion in vision is usually prevent- able and always treatable. Yet, for those who do not un- derstand what is happening to themselves or their loved ones it becomes a tragedy.
Unprotected exposure to sunlight is a major cause of
cataracts and for most Filipi- nos a catastrophe waiting to happen. Noni felt the despair of her countrymen, as well as several family members af- icted by eye disease with little access to property medical care. Noni’s advice to others: Create a goal, develop a vi- sion and stay focused.
Noni learned about goals and visions at a young
age. She became an en- trepreneur in the Philippines and set out to help her family members have a better life. Noni conceived of a new busi- ness project, founds investors, located special equipment and brought in experts to help train her people to operate a business in the Metro Manila area. That was many years ago and the family business still prospers.
In time Noni moved to the United States and started a new life. She eventually settled in Las Vegas,
in part because of friends and the large Filipino population.
She joined a local Lions Club because of its commitment to provide public service to the community.
Lions Clubs do many things when it comes to public service. However, the main focus is on helping the vision impaired, including those deemed legally blind.
While most Lions Clubs offer peripheral services to the vi- sion impaired, Noni wanted to do more.Her natural leadership style made it easy to attract medical professionals into her newly cre- ated Lions SightFirst Foundation. Her rst task was to get recog- nized by the IRS as a medical charity and become a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
The next step was to recruit optometrists and ophthal- mologists into the Foundation. Again, with Noni’s dedication, boundless energy and natural charisma, nding doctors was easy.
Today, over 40 practicing ophthalmologists are active vol- unteers. They perform free vision screening tests, prescribe cor- rective lenses if necessary, and a number of surgeons perform free eye surgery.
Lions SightFirst physicians perform eye surgeries, vision
screening and more. Cataracts is still the most common problem, but patients are examined and if neces-
BY JIM BARTEL
sary, treated for glaucoma, retina problems and more.
Still Noni was not satis- ed, she wanted to do more.
Noni met with the management of Lens Crafters, a prominent national chain of stores selling prescription eyewear, and today Lens Crafters also has optom- etrists that also perform routine vision examinations.
Using her skill in negotia- tions, she put a deal together
between Lions Clubs and Lens Crafters. When any of the south- ern Nevada Lions Clubs or other local charities, even the Clark County School District has a referral for a low income, or an under-insured individual who needs prescription eyeglasses, Noni prepares a letter of intro- duction to one of the nearby LensCrafter stores.
The patient receives a special appointment to visit the store with a prescription written by one of the Lions SightFirst doc- tors. For those without a prescrip- tion, a LensCrafter optometrist examines the person, writes a prescription and the store lls the prescription for the patient.
This joint venture between Lions and Lens Crafters has given new life and new sight to hun- dreds of local Nevadans since she started the program.
Noni learned early on that success builds upon success. As with so many Filipina’s, Noni devoted herself rst to helping her family, then to helping her friends, and nally to helping those less fortunate individuals.
Noni followed Albert Einstein’s famous advice: “Never worry about your success in life, rather always try to focus on be- ing of value to other people.”
Today, Noni encour- ages others to devote a certain amount of time and energy
to helping others. It may be as simple as passing on a kind word to a stranger, or, providing assis- tance in areas of health, culture and history.
Never forget who you are or where you came from,
the Philippines truly has a great culture and a history to be proud of.
Noni’s legacy will be the motto of Lions Clubs – WE SERVE.
For anyone searching
for a better life, serving others is not just a Lions Club slogan, not just a Philippine tradition, but the simple secret to a longer, healthi- er and happier life.
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