Let's Super-Charge Our Mission to Prevent Blindness and Fight Against Diabetes Together!

By 2030, an estimated 11 million people in the United States will have diabetic eye disease. The most common is diabetic retinopathy. Early detection is extremely important. Because of this, people with diabetes need to receive regular eye care — but the costs can add up fast. That's why Friends in Sight partners with Lions Clubs to provide free vision screenings. Because of Lions like you, our volunteer doctors have detected over 900 cases of diabetic eye disease at Friends in Sight vision screenings.

How Our Missions Align

Lions District Programs:

LCI has the mission to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and improve the lives of those living with diabetes. Success depends on individual Lions clubs working on the mission in their Districts. Each District’s project work is led by their “District Diabetes Chair”. Their November Diabetes Awareness work begins with the Multiple District 4 Diabetes Wellness Across California campaign where all Districts participate. Then comes an impressive array of individual District projects summarized below.

Friends in Sight:

When registering at a vision screening, every patient is asked if they have diabetes, so that our volunteer eye doctors know to advise them on the risks of diabetic eye disease. During the eye health evaluation, doctors can detect the presence of vision-threatening diabetic eye disease and advise patients to seek care. Click here for a detailed look at our diabetic eye disease detection history.

Shout Out to the District Diabetes Chairs who are Leading the Way in the Fight Against Diabetes

4-L2 Ling Wu

Phone: 818-292-3543

Email: [email protected]

District 4-L2 participated in a community health education event on healthy lifestyles and recent advances in diabetes research and treatment featured in the flyer for the November 11 DIABETES WELLNESS ACROSS CALIFORNIA zoom meeting health panel.

4-L3 Irene Igual

Phone: 562-569-3250

Email: [email protected]

Lions District 4-L3 will be holding a diabetes awareness event on November 5 at the Nakaoka Community Center in Gardena. The event will reach out to the community with services that include blood sugar testing, education, and counseling. For fun, fitness, and a cardio workout experience, Latin-inspired Zumba dancing will be added to the program.

4-L4 Rudy Huezo

Phone: 562-366-6075

Email: [email protected]

District 4-L4 is working with the American Diabetes Association on their Project Power program. Project Power is an innovative initiative to help raise diabetes awareness, plus offering diabetes risk reduction education. The District and Seal Beach Lions Club are organizing a Yoga At The Park event on November 12. It will be a fun and engaging LCI Strides activity for Lions and Leos to promote diabetes awareness and help community members prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

4-L5 Lida Petrov Jones

Phone: 909-489-8024

Email: [email protected]

The District 4-L5 Diabetes Team is performing a Diabetes awareness campaign in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties with screenings at Senior Centers, Farmers Markets, Schools, Community Health Fairs and Vision Screenings. We also have a Lions Diabetes Camp and District endorsed projects serving families with Diabetes Type 1 children and Type 2 adults, plus once-a-month diabetes support group sessions.

4-L6 Co-Chairs: Nick Bustria & Lisa De Guzman

Lion Nick

Phone: 702-557-0953

Email: [email protected]

Lion Lisa

Phone: 858-354-5196

Email: [email protected]

For Diabetes Awareness Month District 4-L6 will be disseminating diabetes information to the community with flyers and diabetes pins. Scheduled events include the San Diego Majestic Lions weekly Health and Wellness and Diabetes Screening Day. On November 3 there is a Diabetes Stride Breakfast & Zumba event, South Bay Diabetes Screening on November 10, and on November 19 the District will host a Diabetes & Health Awareness Dance-A-Thon.

4-A3 Cheryl Taylor

Phone: 805-279-1767

Email:[email protected]

Lions District 4-A3 will hold their 5^th Annual Walk for Diabetes Awareness event in the City of Camarillo on November 18. The public and all clubs in the District are invited to participate. All proceeds go to the City of Hope Diabetes Research. Plus, in collaboration with Health Care Foundation of Ventura County, 28 4-A3 clubs are raising money to improve diabetes and vision care in their communities. Their goal: $100,000 with a matching grant from LCI.