Upcoming Events | Lions Gift of Sight

Annual Events

Organ Donation Advocacy Day at the Capitol

Everyone is invited to join us for this annual event hosted by LifeSource in partnership with Lions Gift of Sight. This is a meaningful opportunity to raise awareness, share stories and advocate for organ, eye and tissue donation. If you haven't met with your Legislators before, no worries! There is a virtual training before this event to get you ready and experienced staff/advocates can join you for your meetings.

Thursday, February 26, 2026
Minnesota State Capitol
75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard.
St Paul, MN 55155

10:30 a.m. — Rally in the Capitol Rotunda to celebrate the lifesaving power of donation and transplantation. (Sean Poppoff will be speaking, as well as others).

9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. — Two 15 minute meetings will be set up with your State Legislators to discuss the impact of donation and encourage supportive policies, pending their availability. Once your meetings are done, you can head out.

Honoring Sight

Laura Kelly-Lovdahl (donor daughter), Dr. Joshua Hou (surgeon and scientist) and Jessica Moore (corneal recipient).

Helping to restore sight is an amazing legacy for any person to leave. During this annual event, we honor eye donors, their families and corneal transplant recipients from the previous year. Our program will feature a local doctor, a corneal recipient, a donor family, live music and a reception with light refreshments.

Invitations and details will be coming soon.

Sunday, April 12, 2026
1- 3 p.m.
University of St. Thomas
Anderson Student Center
2115 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105

Flag Raising Ceremony

Friday, April 17, 2026
10-11 a.m.
University Enterprise Labs - South Patio
1000 Westgate Drive
Saint Paul, MN 55114

April is National Donate Life Month — a nationally recognized time to celebrate and honor all organ, eye and tissue donors. We also honor the transplant recipients healed due to the generosity of donors. Save the date to join us at our Twin Cities office for our Flag Raising Ceremony. We will gather for a program featuring a personal donation story, research updates, and donation experts with coffee and light refreshments, then raise our flag together.

Thanksgiving for Vision

Corneal recipient Paula Friedson (left) with our Community Liaison Jodi Altenhofen

Each October, this event is hosted by the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation to celebrate the vision partnership between Minnesota Lions club members and the University of Minnesota. This partnership has yielded the Lions Gift of Sight eye bank, the Lions Children's Eye Clinic, the Lions Macular Degeneration Center, the Lions Research Building, the Lions Eye Surgery Center and more.

Thanksgiving for Vision begins with an educational symposium focused on research and clinical work taking place at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences. An inspirational luncheon program follows the symposium with a corneal recipient or parents of a recipient speaking about how their lives have been affected by the sight-saving work of the Minnesota Lions. A donor family member also shares their personal story each year. More details will be available as the event approaches.

Annual Events

Lions Gift of Sight

Lions Gift of Sight

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Annual Events

Lions Gift of Sight

Lions Gift of Sight

A partnership

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