Lions Gift of Sight Donor & Family Recognition Program
May 15, 2022
Lions Gift of Sight
1000 Westgate Drive - Ste 260
Saint Paul, MN 55114
For more information, visit LionsGiftofSight.UMN.edu or call 1-866-887-4448
Table of Contents
Lions International & Eye Banks
Helen Keller: Champion of the Blind
Welcome
Our recognition program honors those who are the foundation of donation – donors and family members. They have generously and selflessly supported the gift of sight.
Thank you for viewing our donor recognition program. Lions Gift of Sight has once again made the choice to pre-record our annual program, in an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of the loved ones of cornea and eye donors from 2021. The depth of our gratitude is the same; we hope that this is clear when watching and listening to the physicians, staff, donor family members, and cornea recipients who kindly shared their thoughts and experiences.
We do hope that we will once again gather in person in spring of 2023, resuming our traditional program of celebration of those who have given the gift of sight.
Program
Welcome
Jodi Altenhofen
Community Liaison, Lions Gift of Sight
Medical School Thank You
Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D.
Dean, University of Minnesota Medical School
Lions Gift of Sight Overview
Sean Poppoff
Executive Director, Lions Gift of Sight
The Impact of Donation
Joshua Hou, M.D.
Medical Director, Lions Gift of Sight
Professor, University of Minnesota
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences
Testimonials
Mark Kelliher
Cornea Recipient
Nicole Gillespie
Daughter of Cornea Recipient
Corinne Rockstad
Mother of Donor Liz Rockstad
Jessica Moore
Cornea Recipient
Ronda Gowan, L.S.W.
Wife of Donor Dan Gowan
Maria Huerta Lopez
Cornea Recipient
Patty Stockdale
Daughter of Donor Monna Monson
Partner and Community Relations Manager, Lions Gift of Sight
Pam Solstad
Cornea Recipient
Donor Photograph Presentation
Lions Gift of Sight Donors
Randy Aho
Gary L. Allen
John Allen
Donald Amerman
Ronald M. Anderson
Ted Anderson
Tim Anderson
Robert Allen Andrews
Thomas Arends
Debra Ann “Mimi” Arthur
Cheryl Atkinson
James Joseph Babel
William “Billy” Bader
Mary Jane Baechler
Marco Antonio Barrientos
Marilyn Jean Beach
Meadow Jane Bellovich
Joanne Bentley
Jackie Ann Bergeron
Stanley A. Berglund
Barbara Jean Berry
Gage Michael Beumer
Don Binkowski
Barbara Blackstone
Linda Renee Blair
Jane Eileen Blomme
Marc Bloomquist
Mike Bovee
Jason Allen Bowman
Jan Brandt
Debra Brihn
Raymond Brown
Steven M. Bruess
Garren Lee Brusse
Carl Buraglio
Duane T. Burchill, Sr.
Kjell Burg
Robert Calvin
Richard Thomas Carraher
Eunice Gatons Cavanaugh
Jackcomen “Jack” Chan
Francis R. “Frenchy” Chouinard
David D. Christenson
Dixie Kay Claymore
William Allen Colonna
John Patrick Connor
Grace Carter Cooley
Michael D. Corgiat
Benoit Christian Daines
Karen Davidson
Donna Detlefsen
Kyle P. Deusterhoff
David Diercks
George Clyde Dilliard, Jr.
Judy Dittberner
Ann Elise Donlin
Louise Drajna
Daniel J. Drewlo
Ranee Dzubay
Madison Sierra Eddings
Gloria Eichhorn
Richard John Emerick
Mary Jo Enz
Garth Erickson
Steve Eskra
Pamela L. Espeland
Steven Evans
Joyce Eveslage
Cary Lynn Fields
George Frederick Fike
Kelly Lyn Fohrenkamm
Samantha Jonay Follmer
Martin Russell Fredrick
Tyler Fried
Andrew Froistad
Edwin “Ned” Gardner
G. Kent Gardner
Linda Garvey
Jeanne Gearhart
Stephen Neal Geer
Jacob John Gerlach
Bran Ghislain
Joel Giebner
Michael James Giehtbrock
Michael D. Goldner
Laura Pauline Goss
Dan Gowan
Cynthia Granger
Skee Greenough
Craig Grev
Jamie Jo Gunderson
Casey G. Gwost
Scott Timothy Haglund
James E. Halden
Kent Hall
Darlys Hamburg
Randy Hanisch
Richard K. Hartsook
Liza Hassler
Bo E. Hedlund
Gloria J. Heidinger
Mary Ellen Henderson
Louise Marie Hendrickson
Margaret Henry
Ann Marie Herdina
John Herman
Justin “Jodie” Hill
Helen W. Hinke
Susan Catherine Hodder
Donald James Hoffer
William C. Holm
Gail Holtan
Marinda Caroline Hoops
Donald D. Incitti
Robert A. Jantzen
John Jenstad
Jordan M. Jergenson
Jeff Jewett
Allen P. Johnson
Ben Johnson
Kristopher Kermit “Fer” Johnson
Lee E. Johnson
Owen D. Johnson
Paul J. Johnson
Philip Johnson
Sandra K. Johnson
Sue Johnson
Ronnie E. Jones
Dennis G. Joriman
Mason Lawrence Kauk
Charlotte Keene
Byron Kennedy
Pauline L. King
Timothy King
John A. Kirchner
Jeanine Kirscht
Mary Ellen Kjos
Deona Marie Knajdek
Kyler Kobus
Bob Konen
Liam Robert Kortemeier
Eileen Kosidowski
Dr. Mary Alice Kremer
Gary E. Krenz
Paul Kriegler
Noralee Ann Krieglmeier
Judith E. Kuehn
Jacob Kusske
Jeff Kvam
Lawrence Lalonde
David T. Larsen
Alex Larson
Kim Michael Larson
Arlene Lien
Jeffrey Loewenhagen
Vinh Lovan
Keith James Lowrey
John Lubitz
Jerry Lutz
Joe Lutz
Kathleen Ann “Kathy” MacDonald
Sharon L. Madsen
Mark David Mahoney
Leo Gary Majerus
Garrett W. Markin
Terry Marlowe
Joshua Martindale, Ph.D.
Bob McCarthy
Jay T. McCleary
Robyn Julianne McComb
Jordyn Meskan
Claudia F. Meyer
Deborah Marie Miles
Gordon E. “Gordy” Miller
Juanita S. Mitchell
Mark Keith Mlinar
Paul Anthony Molitor
Jim Mollert
Barbara Mortenson
Bernadine Moser
Darlene Moss
Todd G. Mrnak
Patrick Homer Murphy
Robert “Robb” Nealey
Brian A. Nelson
John E. Nelson
Craig Ness
Robert H. Niederkorn
James Nord
Kari Jean Nordhausen
David G. O’Brien
Diana Lynn O’Neill
Karen Olson
Paula Olson
Francis “Frank” Olson III
Larry Opitz
Carol M. Osterhaus
Jesse Lee Otterholt
Monique Ouellette
John Robert Pagenhart
Nicholas John Patten
Gail Loree Paulson
Candice Joy Pederson
Aurora Paulino Perez
Jose Angel Perez
Joleen A. Perkins
Marjorie Peterson
Kevin R. Pilon
Joan Elaine Polasky
Charles A. Proshek
Steffanie Quick
Eric Raddatz
Rick Reimer
Sally Rich
Rosemarie Riskevich
Charles L. “Louie” Ritmire
Johanna Roa
Charles V. Roberts
Mitchell T. Rognrud
Susan J. “Sue” Rohloff
Wes Rolfing
Richard Rose
L. Mary Rottach
Tim Rueb
Michael Ryan
Thomas E. Samuelson
Jim Sanden
Jon Sausser
Rebecca L. Schlueter
Debra Jean Schmitz
Steven Edward Schmulske
Frank Schreiner
Gloria A. Schroeder
Marilyn Marder Schuchman
Carol Schultz
Henry Schumer
David Shanks
Pamela Shapiro
Linda Shelton
Kathryn Shier
Kevin James Skaar
Dave Smith
Cheryl Smithwick
Dr. Radhika Lal Snyder
Marlene Zappa Sommers
Sandra Spier
Jason I. Spillum
Cheryl Starkey
David Charles Stein
Joseph C. Stein
Gary A. Stromley
Ryan Stumm
Cory Sturges
Andre Charles Summey
Shane L. Swang
Charles W. Swann
Carla Sykora
Gary L. Theisen
John “Jack” Thibault
Imants “Karl” Thiel
Betty Thompson
Justin James Thompson
Steven Kenneth Thompson
Eric E. Thoreson
Ty James Tomasetti
Zachary Torgerson
David Vail
Jeff Vastine
Robert Vogelsberg
RuthEtta Volden
Stephen A. Voogd
Esther Waas
Michael Waechter
Thomas Wall
Austin Edward Wallis
Dennis Walsh
Dee Walter
Pat Walter
George Ronald Watson
Ralph Francis Wehrenberg
Aaron Michael Welle
James “Jimmy” Wells
Edwin L. Werner
Nicholas A. Westcott
Sophie Anne Wieland
William H. Wilfahrt
Betsy Wilfer
Dwight Williams
James T. Winkel
Thomas J. Witcraft
Daniel Woitalla
Shirley Wold
David L. Woldt
Guenther J. Wronka
Gary Zabel
Nathan John Zieba
Wayne Zwickey
Eye Bank FAQ’s
What is an eye bank?
An eye bank is the link between people who donate their eyes and people who help restore sight. Eye banks obtain, medically evaluate, and distribute eyes and corneas for use in transplantation, research, and education.
Can the whole eye be transplanted?
No. At this time, only the cornea or sclera can be transplanted. The entire eye can be used for research and education.
What is the cornea?
The cornea is the clear tissue in the front of the eye. It is the main focusing element of the eye. Should the cornea become cloudy from disease, infection, or injury, vision would be dramatically reduced.
What is a cornea transplant?
A cornea transplant is the surgical procedure that replaces an unhealthy cornea with a healthy donor cornea. Corneas can be damaged by: bacterial, fungal, or viral infections; by inherited and degenerative diseases; or by chemical burns, scratches, and other traumatic injuries.
How common are cornea transplants?
Nationwide, nearly 50,000 corneal transplants are performed each year. Corneas have been transplanted to patients ranging in age from only a few days to 103 years old.
How soon after a donation must a cornea be transplanted?
A cornea is usually transplanted within three to seven days of donation.
Why donate for research?
Research is the key to eliminating worldwide blindness. Hundreds of researchers use donated eye tissue in the quest to prevent, treat, or cure eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa.
Become Involved - Volunteer
As we emerge from the restrictions of the past two years, we are ready to embrace offers of volunteering with our eye bank. Please contact me if you are interested in sharing your story of eye donation or cornea transplantation or if you would like to volunteer in another capacity.
Our volunteers are crucial to our mission, and anyone who would like to donate time and talents is welcomed—and encouraged—to apply. From office work to lab support to event assistance, we have a variety of volunteer opportunities available.
Lions Gift of Sight offers:
- Flexible scheduling
- Training for volunteer positions
- Volunteer recognition
- Complimentary parking
For more information, please contact our Community Services Liaison:
Jodi Altenhofen
Lions Gift of Sight
1000 Westgate Drive, Suite 260
Saint Paul, MN 55114
612-624-0446
[email protected]
Lions Clubs International & Eye Banks
In 1925, Helen Keller addressed the service organization Lions Clubs International, challenging Lions to become “Knights of the Blind” (see page 18). Lions responded enthusiastically and made restoring vision and assisting the visually-impaired their primary mission.
Lions Gift of Sight
In 1960, Minnesota Lions partnered with the University of Minnesota to establish the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank (now Lions Gift of Sight). This historic event marked the creation of the first human tissue donation organization and only eye bank in Minnesota.
Since founding, thanks to the generosity of donors and family members, Lions Gift of Sight has provided more than 36,000 corneas for transplant and more than 38,000 eyes or corneas for research and medical education. The eye bank also distributes donated sclera (the white of the eye) for restorative eye surgeries. Every day, we strive to restore sight through eye donation. We are dedicated to our mission, knowledgeable about our profession, and expert in the services we provide.
Minnesota Lions
There are more than 1.4 million Lions clubs members around the globe serving together to better the world. Minnesota alone boasts 543 clubs! Lions clubs help their communities by improving parks, keeping roadsides clean, providing scholarships, honoring veterans, and so much more.
Our Minnesota Lions not only helped found Lions Gift of Sight, but also the Lions Children’s Eye Clinic, the Lions Macular Degeneration Center, and the Lions Eye Surgery Center.
Lions Eye Banks & the Barcelona Principles
Lions Gift of Sight was founded as an eye bank firmly rooted in the Lions’ tradition of service to the community and dedication to helping the sight-impaired. As a Lions eye bank, we must follow Lions Clubs International Eye Bank Program Guidelines, adhere to the Lions Code of Ethics, and subscribe to the Barcelona Principles. What might that mean? Here are a few highlights.
Lions eye banks encourage, promote, improve, and establish Lions eye banking internationally, so that quality eye tissue for corneal transplants, research, and other medical purposes may be provided. They publicize the role and service of eye banks.
The Lions Code of Ethics was established from a business point of view, and Lions club members pledge to accept no profit or success at the price of their own self-respect lost because of unfair advantage taken or because of questionable acts. They give sympathy to those in distress, aid to the weak, and substance to the needy.
The Barcelona Principles are an agreement on the use of human donated tissue for ocular transplantation, research, and future technologies. The Principles are put out by the Global Alliance of Eye Bank Associations, an internationally-recognized association that supports the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Initiative for Medical Products of Human Origin, and the WHO Guiding Principles on Human Cell, Tissue and Organ Transplantation.
Service from the Heart
Lions Clubs International chose Service from the Heart as the theme for the 2021-2022 Lions year. A beautiful choice for this service organization:. Says Lions International president, Douglas X. Alexander, “Service to others is the rent we pay for the space we occupy here on earth.” The world is facing many challenges, and great things can be achieved when we join together.
Helen Keller: Champion of the Blind
Born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1880, Helen Keller contracted a fever at 19 months of age that left her both blind and deaf. She lived in darkness and silence until a miraculous teacher, Anne Sullivan, broke through 7- year- old Helen’s isolation and taught her sign language, Braille, and speech.
All her life Helen was a tireless advocate for people with disabilities. In 1925, she attended the Lions Clubs International Convention and gave a short speech asking the 8- year- old service organization to help the blind. This speech so moved Lions club members that they have worked to assist the visually-impaired and to eradicate preventable blindness ever since.
Helen Keller's Speech
Dear Lions and Ladies:
I suppose you have heard the legend that represents opportunity as a capricious lady, who knocks at every door but once, and if the door isn’t opened quickly, she passes on, never to return. And that is as it should be. Lovely, desirable ladies won’t wait. You have to go out and grab ‘em.
I am your opportunity. I am knocking at your door. I want to be adopted. The legend doesn’t say what you are to do when several beautiful opportunities present themselves at the same door. I guess you have to choose the one you love best. I hope you will adopt me. I am the youngest here, and what I offer you is full of splendid opportunities for service.…
Try to imagine how you would feel if you were suddenly stricken blind today. Picture yourself stumbling and groping at noonday as in the night; your work, your independence, gone. In that dark world wouldn’t you be glad if a friend took you by the hand and said, “Come with me and I will teach you how to do some of the things you used to do when you could see”? That is just the kind of friend the American Foundation [for the Blind] is going to be to all the blind in this country if seeing people will give it the support it must have.
You have heard how through a little word dropped from the fingers of another, a ray of light from another soul touched the darkness of my mind and I found myself, found the world, found God. It is because my teacher learned about me and broke through the dark, silent imprisonment which held me that I am able to work for myself and for others. It is the caring we want more than money. The gift without the sympathy and interest of the giver is empty. If you care, if we can make the people of this great country care, the blind will indeed triumph over blindness.
The opportunity I bring to you, Lions, is this: To foster and sponsor the work of the American Foundation for the Blind. Will you not help me hasten the day when there shall be no preventable blindness; no little deaf, blind child untaught; no blind man or woman unaided? I appeal to you Lions, you who have your sight, your hearing, you who are strong and brave and kind. Will you not constitute yourselves Knights of the Blind in this crusade against darkness?
I thank you.
Lions Clubs International Convention
Cedar Point, Ohio
June 30, 1925
What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.— Helen Keller (1880 - 1968)
Acknowledgments
Lions Gift of Sight thanks Minnesota Lions club members, Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation, and individual donors for the financial support that made this program possible.
Lions Gift of Sight also extends special thanks to the musicians who provided the background music for the donor photo presentation:
- The Barnett Family and Yuri Liberzon
- Madison and Kirby Karpan and Friends
- Maureen Karpan and Frog Legs
- Maud Hixon