Help Needed For Midlakes Student

The Phelps Lions Club has embarked on its most ambitious project ever. Dan O’Dell, an 11 year old student at the Midlakes Intermediate School, suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Bardet-Biedl Syndrome. This complex disorder affects many parts of the body including the retina. As a result, Dan has been slowly losing his eyesight over the past four years, and will be totally blind by the time he reaches adulthood.Dan is currently receiving instruction in Braille at the school that he attends. He is learning on a Mountbatten LS Brailler, which is not transportable, and must remain at school. As a result, Dan is unable to progress at a rate that will allow him to be proficient in Braille before he is totally blind.The Phelps Lions Club is committed to purchase a Brailler for Dan to use at home. This will enable him to do homework, receive extra help, and teach him this new way of communicating. The club is reaching out to the community for help. Fundraisers have been set up through-out the summer to help the club meet the goal. The club has already held a yard sale, parked cars at the circus at the Midlakes School, and is running a weekly hot dog stand at the Farmer’s Market in Phelps. Contributions to help purchase the Brailler for Dan may also be sent to: Phelps Lions Club, P.O. Box 245, Phelps, NY 14532.Lions members thank everyone who contributes to this important work. You are truly helping us make a difference in our community.The Phelps Lions Club has 18 members and meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month at 6:30 at the Phelps Hotel. Lions clubs are a group of men and women who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs. For more information or to get involved with the Phelps Lions Club, please contact Lion Gary Boisseau at (315) 462-6800. The website for the club is www.PhelpsLions.org. Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with nearly 1.3 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit the Web site at www.lionsclubs.org.