K-M Lions sponsor White Cane Day

Kasson-Mantorville’s Lions Club will be having a “White Cane Day” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, at the HyVee store in Kasson.
The purpose of Lion White Cane Day is to raise money for the Lions Vision Foundation Sight Program as well as the Minnesota Eye Bank. Money raised is used to help those with sight problems.
Lions Clubs have made vision their main focus since 1925 when Helen Keller challenged them to “knights of the blind.” It continues to be the main focus of Lions clubs in 205 countries.
The Kasson-Mantorville Lions are proud to be part of Lions Club International and provided needed services to this community.
In 1921, James Biggs, a photographer from Bristol, England, became blind following an accident. Because he was feeling uncomfortable with the amount of traffic around his home, he painted his walking stick white to be more easily visible.
In 1930, George A. Bonham, president of the Peoria (Illinois) Lions Club, introduced the idea of using the white cane with a red band as a means of assisting the blind in independent mobility. The Peoria Lions approved the idea, white canes were made and distributed, and the Peoria City Council adopted an ordinance giving the bearers the right-of-way to cross the street.
The idea of the white cane spread to Lions Clubs throughout the United States and in 1964 the U.S. Congress approved a resolution authorizing the President of the United States to issue a proclamation designating October 15 as White Cane Safety Day.
Today white cane laws are on the books of every state in the U.S. and many other countries, providing blind persons a legal status in traffic. The white cane now universally acknowledges that the bearer is blind.