Fargo Gateway Lions Club welcomes visually impaired member into the club – InForum

FARGO – The Fargo Gateway Lions Club has 58 members and is in existence for 62 years.

“Their mission is to work with visually impaired people around the world,” said Greg Otis, a prospective club member.

71-year-old Otis would like to join us.

“Because I am visually impaired, the Lions have always appealed to me,” said Otis.

Ten years ago, Otis moved from Devils Lake to be closer to the Fargo VA and Sanford Health, but when he started working at the Governors Inn in Casselton, he faced a major obstacle.

“I started work on a Monday and on Saturday I was lifting some garbage bags for a banquet. In 2014, I had a hemorrhage in both eyes. That was the last day I drove and the last day I worked,” Otis said.

Now Otis relies on a white cane and has caught the club’s attention.

“I talked to some people in Devils Lake and they said, ‘We know someone in your area who used to be here and is now blind.’ So it started with a phone call and we’ve been spending time together for three weeks now,” said Crystal Dueker, service director for the Fargo Gateway Lions Club.

Although he is not the first blind Lion candidate, members have wasted no time in involving Otis in their service projects. In particular, they have distributed hardback copies of Grandpa’s White Cane to local schools and libraries.

“Grandpa’s White Cane” is a book about a grandfather who learns to use a white cane after losing his sight due to glaucoma.

“I have grandchildren myself and the transition from being visually impaired to being blind is a journey. And it can be difficult to explain to very young children. And that’s why I think this book can be really, really helpful in explaining what it’s like and how to help someone with a visual impairment,” Otis said.

His presence helps not only the children but also the club members.

“It helps everyone in my club to be more aware of this and ask themselves, ‘How would I handle this myself if I were blind too?’ We have a lot of men and women of different ages here, and for us this is an opportunity to learn more about how we can advocate for the blind and visually impaired here in the Fargo-Moorhead area,” Dueker said.

Otis says he hopes more visually impaired people will participate.

“I think when you’re visually impaired, just walking out your front door can be the biggest challenge and hardship of everyday life. And I think it’s important to walk out your front door and join a service club that actually cares about the visually impaired,” Otis said.

The Fargo Gateway Lions meet every Friday at 12 noon at the Biltmore Hotel & Suites. The meeting place is open to the public.

My name is Anne Sara, better known as Sara.
I was born an only child in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and moved to the United States at age 2.
I grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
After completing my bachelor’s degree at Albright College, I moved to Florida to continue my studies.
WDAY is the reason I moved to North Dakota.