‘Knights of the blind’ take part in a Journey for Sight

Details

Published on Thursday, January 21, 2016

Photo by John Drinkwater. Snowmobilers from across Manitoba and northwest Ontario ride about 200 kilometres every year raising money for the visually impaired.

By John Drinkwater

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

In 1925, Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become “knights of the blind.” They accepted the challenge and since then, have been recognized throughout the world for their commitment to blindness prevention. In Manitoba, Lions members continue their humanitarian service to help those who suffer with vision disabilities through the Lions Eye Bank and the annual snowmobile fundraising event, the Journey for Sight.

The eventoriginated in Birtle, MB in 1983 and was initially one sled-one rider collecting pledges. Today, snowmobile riders from Northern, Central and Southern Manitoba and most recently Northwest Ontario will ride a minimum of 200 kilometres, visiting communities to collect pledges, before a rendezvous in Brandon for the presentation of funds, guest speakers and a barbecue. When this year’s donations are added, it is estimated that money raised since its start will be over two million dollars. A total of 29 riders and support staff enjoyed a delicious lunch provided by Dairy Queen in partnership with Neepawa Lions Club.

Ian Mullin is outgoing chair of Journey for Sight and a participant for over 20 years. He said, “This is my last event as chair. In 2017, Brad Henderson will assume the position for a three year period. The Lions Eye Bank does a lot of amazing things. They are involved in research, public awareness and conduct transplants. They help those who are less fortunate with their transplants. In the Swan Valley area, where I live, the Lions Club rallied together to obtain special cataract equipment for our hospital.”

One of the main challenges on Saturday was the extreme wind chill of -44°C. Raising money for this event does come at a cost. Every year, without exception, the temperature always hits -35 to -40° Celsius. Mullin commented, “Everybody on the ride jokes about the weather. It’s just one of those things. We’ve had years where the week before the ride it’s a balmy -5, then the week of the ride it’s -40°C and the week after is nice again.” The key is good clothing, according to Mullin, as well as looking out for each other. “Everyone has really good clothing,” he said. “It’s key. Everybody watches out for each other when it gets that cold. You will see 25 grown men checking each other’s clothing to make sure there is no exposed skin. It sounds funny, but it’s very serious. When we go from the north, we are travelling across many lakes at 70 miles per hour. Skin can freeze in under two minutes. We are very diligent in making sure everyone has their balaclavas tucked in before heading out. A lot of us have ridden for over 15 years. It’s like a big family. People are busy during the year, but we always make sure we get together at this time and do what we can to help out the Lions Eye Bank. We usually get a few new guys every year, which is great. Everybody really enjoys it, no matter the cold.”