Vision

It's One of Our Core Missions: VISION

Vision (Sight): Programs dedicated to preventing blindness, restoring sight, and providing eye care for the visually impaired.

Lions Club International is a world leader in the effort to prevent avoidable blindness and provide resources for eye health care and solutions.

The Osseo Lions Club, along with Lions Clubs International and the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation, is working in local communities to improve the lives of people with visual impairments and those at risk of avoidable eye health challenges and blindness.

We're doing this through continued efforts like research and education, initiatives like FREE eye screenings through Minnesota MD5M Lions Kidsight programs, eye glass donation collections and distributions, and more.

The Osseo Lions, along with our community partners, will collect your gently used or outdated prescription eyeglasses for recycling and reuse.

You'll find drop-off sites available during regular business hours at the following current locations:

  1. Osseo, MN Civic Offices -415 Central Avenue, Osseo, MN 55369

  2. Premier Banks -301 Central Avenue, Osseo, MN 55369

Lions KidSight USA Foundation is a nationwide program dedicated to safeguarding the vision of children from ages 6 months to 16 years, and, where possible, up to grade 12.

According to national educational experts, 80% of our capacity to learn is visual, so if an otherwise healthy child is struggling to see, they're going to struggle with learning as well.

Yet, as stunning as those statistics might be, most adolescent children are not receiving important vision screenings until it’s too late, either because they were having problems learning or paying attention in class.

Unless potential vision problems are detected early with a range of microprocessors and given the opportunity to be corrected, vision challenges risk becoming permanent by age 7.

The Osseo Lions Club, along with Lions Club International's Lions Kid Sight USA Foundation and the coordinated efforts of our regional MD5M Lions Kidsight program, is offering FREE eye sight screenings to families residing in or bringing their young children to school or daycare in and around the Osseo, MN area during select community events throughout the year. → One such event is the annual LIONS ROAR celebration, held every September (the weekend following Labor Day) in downtown Osseo.

Lion with glasses

You can find out more about upcoming events by…

The Osseo Lions Club is a primary supporter of the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank, which has been renamed Lions Gift of Sight.

Located at the University of Minnesota, it operates as a leading facility for corneal transplants, medical education, and eye research.

History & Support

Founded in partnership with the University of Minnesota's Department of Ophthalmology, the program was funded in part by Minnesota Lions clubs, including the Osseo chapter. The club continues to support the initiative, honoring Helen Keller's 1925 call for Lions to act as "knights for the blind".

In Addition…

In addition to the state eye bank, the Osseo Lions Club also provides financial backing for research and operations through the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation.

The Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation exists to “save and restore people’s sight” by supporting eye donation, eye care, and vision-related services for children, adults, and seniors across Minnesota.

Through projects like Lions Gift of Sight, the Lions Children’s Eye Clinic, and support for eye surgery and research at the University of Minnesota, the foundation turns donations and volunteer service into real-world outcomes—corneal transplants, clinical care, and millions of recycled eyeglasses that change lives every day.

For the Osseo Lions Club, supporting this foundation through annual financial contributions is a direct way to live out our identity as “Knights of the Blind” and honor the promise made to Helen Keller to fight preventable blindness.

Our local fundraising is multiplied through the foundation’s medical partnerships and statewide reach, allowing a small but dedicated club in Osseo to help neighbors near and far receive the gift of sight and the dignity, independence, and hope that come with it.

Another foundation we support is the Minnesota Lions Diabetes Foundation.

Diabetes is one of the leading threats to healthy vision because high blood sugar quietly damages the tiny blood vessels and nerves in the eyes over time, often without early symptoms. This is exactly why the Minnesota Lions Diabetes Foundation’s work—and Osseo Lions’ support of it—fits so tightly with our long-standing commitment to eye health and blindness prevention

The Minnesota Lions Diabetes Foundation exists to “catch the dream – a world without diabetes” by funding research, education, screening, and prevention programs that improve the lives of people living with or at risk for diabetes.

Its mission is to eliminate diabetes by raising funds, supporting cutting-edge scientific work, and promoting healthy lifestyles throughout Minnesota.

Founded by the Lions Clubs of Minnesota and powered by dedicated volunteers, the foundation has provided more than $ 2 million to diabetes research, education, screenings, and related services. It backs initiatives such as finding a cure for diabetes, advancing human islet transplantation and organ generation for transplant, improving anti-rejection drugs, and stopping the immune system from attacking pancreatic islet cells—key mechanisms in Type 1 diabetes.

This work aligns directly with the Osseo Lions Club’s commitment to combating diabetes and supporting community members facing chronic health challenges, not just in crisis but over the long haul. By contributing annually to the Minnesota Lions Diabetes Foundation, Osseo Lions help fuel research, community education, and preventive health activities that empower individuals and families to manage or avoid diabetes, while also amplifying Lions Clubs International’s global focus on diabetes as a core cause.