Lions For the Blind Project
Located at
Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually
Impaired
Lions Home for the Blind
History
The Lions Home for the Blind was incorporated on July 24, 1974 founded by Lion Oscar Vidal and other Lions from Cuba and South
Florida.
For 29 years The Lions Home for the Blind provided daily care for low-income blind persons living in Miami-Dade County.
In 2006 Lions for the Blind moved its activities to the modern facility of the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind
and Visually impaired
Social Group Activities is a Lions Project
As a result the Home was closed, the blind joined the Miami Lighthouse, and a special department for Social Group Activities was set up, headed by the same teacher
who had been at the Home, Lion Nelba Gonzalez.
Lion Nelba studied in Cuba and got her degree in accounting in 1985. In 1990 she applied and got a position at The National Rehabilitation Center for The Blind and visually impaired in Cuba, where she was trained by Norwegian specialists in teaching blind and visually impaired people. This training qualified her to teach activities such as Orientation and Mobility, Personal Management, Braille system in Spanish and other skills that were needed to provide training in rehabilitation of the blind and visually impaired. In 1991, she received additional training in art therapy specializing in teaching arts and crafts to blind and visually impaired people.
When she left Cuba in 2004 she was hired by The Lions Home for the Blind and has continued to work with the blind and visually impaired at Miami Lighthouse.
The move made it possible to expand from serving 25 primarily Hispanic blind adults to over 150 adults
Lions for the Blind Project at Miami Lighthouse serves people from all over the world living in South Florida: 70% Hispanic, 15% African American and Haitian and 15% Others. This would not have been
possible at the old facility.
Lions for the Blind provide all the materials for the art classes and also sponsor field trips and social events for our blind clients.
Lions for the Blind Project provides 8 hours of daily activities for blind and visually impaired persons:
Ceramic Class
Arts and Crafts
Macramé Jewelry
Painting
Exercise classMusic class
Lunch and coffee break
The Lions for the Blind Project also provides materials for classes during the summer months for children. This past year a ceramic pillar hand made by blind and visually impaired children's was created in honor of all Lions and
entitled “The art of love”.
Low-income blind do not have access to as many social events as the sighted population so bingo parties, picnics, fieldtrips, health
fairs, the Calle Ocho Carnival, Thanksgiving Dinner for 200 persons and other community events including Coral Gables Spanish Heritage Festival are encompassed in the Project.
Social Group Activities clients interacting with the community at Social Events
Each year Lions Project for the Blind co-sponsors the Lions White Cane Day celebration which includes a fund raising Walkathon on Calle Ocho, a section of which is closed off by the City of Miami Police and Fire departments for blind walkers and their supporters to raise awareness for the White Cane Safety Laws.
Lions Project for the Blind utilizes its 501(c)(3) status to assist the Lions District and participating Clubs to obtain grants which they could not have obtained on their own. Among them each year multiple grants are received for the Back to School Project with Lions Project for the Blind assistance.
The newest annual event is a Sunday afternoon Dinner Dance for over 150. Lions Project for the Blind is the only entity in the county organizing social events especially for the blind.
We invite you to visit
Lions for the Blind project is located on the second floor of the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired 601 SW 8th Avenue, Miami Florida 33130
For more information contact Lion Nelba Gonzalez
Ph: 305-856-2288 Cell 786-294-8912
Email [email protected]
Credits
Text: Lion Alan Campbel
Photos: Lion Cameron Sisser
Animation: Lion Nelba Gonzalez
Music by Singer
Natalia Sulca
Blind graduate of the Miami Lighthouse
Better Chance Music Production Program™