Lions Club brings bingo to Sisters

The mission of Three Sisters Lions Club is to make money and give it away. The making money part of their mission was accomplished in style on Sunday, February 25.

The club hosted its first ever Bingo and Silent Auction fund-raiser at Sisters Fire Hall. More than 50 game-loving participants contributed to the club's cause and reaped the benefits of the generous prizes awarded.

The club uses the money it raises to provide $500 scholarships to two deserving graduating seniors at Sisters High School.

"We usually have between 12 and 20 applications," club president Mike Harold said.

The club also uses the money it raises to bring the mobile screening unit to Sisters. The unit provides screening for sight, hearing, diabetes, glaucoma and the like.

"It's perfectly free for the community members," Harold said.

Although the exact date has not yet been scheduled, the mobile unit will be in Sisters in late May or early June.

"We usually screen between 60 and 100 people," Harold said.

The Lions Club also brings the screening unit to the elementary school.

Additionally, the club provides eye glasses and hearing aides for community members who are in need and who do not have insurance. Sisters optometrist and club member Kristi Rhodes assists the club in providing these services.

Sunday's event was the brain child of Lioness Deri Frazee.

"Everybody likes bingo, and there's no bingo in Sisters," Frazee said.

She sought donations for the silent auction and for bingo prizes from local businesses.

"I'm a business owner, so I know a lot of business owners. I just randomly picked businesses," she said.

The businesses abundantly responded to her call.

"It just worked out the way it did. The community is the one that did it. They just stood by me when I asked them what I needed. They were very generous," Frazee added.

One of the many recipients of the assistance that Lions Clubs internationally provide to individuals in need attended Sunday's bingo fund-raiser. She is nine-year-old Cristina Zamora.

Cristina's grandmother Kathy Levine, a former Sisters resident, told The Nugget that last year the family learned that Cristina was doing poorly in school. Through the intervention of one of her teachers, the family took Cristina for an eye examination. Cristina had cataracts on both of her eyes. The estimate for surgery was $10,000 per eye, and Cristina's family had no insurance.

One of the members of Three Sisters Lions Club assisted in referring Cristina to the Oregon Lions Site and Hearing Foundation. The foundation immediately responded to Cristina's need, providing her with the necessary surgery.

"It was a real godsend," said Levine.

"It helps me read much better. My grandma said that we are going to go to Wildlife Safari because we went when I couldn't see the animals at all. Now, I can also see the signs up in the street," Cristina said.

Expressing her appreciation to the Lions, Cristina added, "Thank you for doing my eye surgery, because right now (without it) I wouldn't see at all."

(To learn more about Cristina's story visit http://www.orlions.org/foundation/foundation/programs/Cristina.htm.)

Three Sisters Lions Club meets the third Monday of every month at noon at Sisters Coffee Company. The club welcomes new members.