Lions check sight and hearing of thousands of students

Fae Crabill, Lakewood First Lions president, conducts a sight screening at Park Lodge Elementary School. Fae and her husband Tom, coordinate the screenings at all the district schools with the help of school nurses.

"H," "V," "O," "T" read the fourth-grader as he stood in the hallway at Park Lodge Elementary School with one eye covered. After completing his eye screening, he quietly moved to another line with his classmates to wait to have his hearing checked. In just a few hours, every student at the school had received a vision and hearing screening, thanks to volunteers from the Lakewood First Lions Club, who have performed this service for more than 20 years.

“It always amazes me how much fun I have screening the kids,” said Tom Crabill, Lakewood First Lions Club 2nd vice president. “These screenings are important and help the school nurse identify students who need help to properly hear and see.”

The Lakewood First Lions, with the help of the Dupont Lions and the Lakewood Knights Lions, have screened thousands of students at many schools in the district this year. In collaboration with each school’s nurse, Lions volunteers schedule the screenings during the first months of school so that those students who need assistance can be identified before their learning is impacted.

“This service is so essential and we are very grateful to the Lions for their dedication to our students,” said Susan Keller, head district nurse. “With limited staff, there is no way that our school nurses could screen students as quickly and efficiently as the Lions. On screening day, the volunteers—having been trained by the school nurse—know exactly what to do and they work together as a team until each student is checked.”

For more information about the Lakewood First Lions, visit www.lkwdfirstlions.org.