NY FIDI LIONS BLIND SPORTS LEAGUE IS LEADING THE WAY FOR A WORLD BEHOND SIGHT,
TO ENEABLE THAT EVERY BLIND AND VISUAL IMPAIR PERSON CAN PRACTICE ANY SPORT
Photo: Lions Clubs International incoming Presidents Douglas Alexander (07/01/2021), VP Brian Sheehan (07012020), with the NY LIONS BB they enducted during Lions Day with the United Nations event hosted by the Financial District Lions Club in Celebration of Friendship and International Understanding.
LIONS are pioneer leaders in the support of blind and visual impaired persons since 1925 when Hellen Keller challenged LIONS to help her in the crusade against blindness. And as one of Lions’ Centennial project, the Financial District Lions Club is committed to support the Visual Impair in our community through sports - an outlet to improve the health and physical and psychological condition of the blind and the visual impaired in our community.
Blindness or visual impairment have a profound impact in the lives of children and adults likewise.Weight gain has long been associated with diabetes and other life-threatening conditions. In fact, diabetics are 40% more likely to have glaucoma, and 60% more likely to have cataracts, and vision loss due to diabetes is irreversible (American Diabetes Association).
The League members are very active and motivated men and women who practice a variety of sports: Fishing, Archery, Tennis, Hockey, Out-rigging, Running, Biking, Hiking, Beep Ball, Canoeing, and in the fall of 2019 the league founders incorporated the Adaptive Baseball for the Blind (NY LIONS BB) invented in Italy by Alfredo Melli under the leadership adapted by AIBXC (Associazione Italian Baseball Giocato da Ciechi) and LIBCI (Liga Italiana Baseball Ciechi & Impovedenti).
Click below twice to learn about the League Fishing and Archery Teams:
LIONS VIP FISHING TEAM
May 2019 Alex Barrera and Eris Skander went to the first fishing expedition at Finger Lakes in May of 2019, sponsored by the Financial District Lions Club. The Fishing team members were the founders of the Sports League: Alex Barrera, Robert Weekes, Braulion Thorne, Eris Scanderi, Dana Shapiro and Hashieem Kirkland. The objection of the Fishing Team is to compete at the NC VIP Lions Fishing Tournament (www.ncvipfishing.org). It is the largest in the world. Photo of last yeaar fishin in Babylon, Long Island.
ARCHERY BEYOND SIGHT TEAM
The League members don't stop - they are a talented and determined group of blind men and women. Their recent incorporation in the League is
Archery Beyond Sight team, whose athlets are on the photo herein: Eris Skenderi, Braulio Thorne, Alex Barrera andd Robert Weekes. This team has been practicing for future competition in the paralympics, and we count with the support of people like you to help us fund them, and volunteers to assist them during practices.
The NY Fidi Lions Club Blind Sports League was formed in early spring of 2019, as a branch of the Financial District Lions Club in Multiple District 20-R2 and incorporated its B4B in the Spring of 2020, registering it as a not-for-profit New York State Corporation. Donation are 100% tax deductible.
There is an estimated 52,000 school-age children who are blind or visually impaired in the United States; nearly 70 percent do not participate in even a limited physical education. If we only help a fraction of these children to play sports,
THE BENEFIT OF SPORTS
The positive effects of participation in sports for a blind and partially sighted person, irrespective of the ability or experience to run freely without fear and improve their health cannot be underestimated - it is a gateway to social inclusion, increases confidence and self-esteem, it encourage them to get out and about safely, to participate fully in their communities, live the life they choose, and strengthening both social and motor skills.
THE MISSION
The Mission of the NY FiDi Lions Sport League is to motivate and teach vision impaired children and adults to practice sports, that enables them to enjoy the same freedom of independent movement and skills that any sighted person enjoys when practicing sports.
Photos and videos courtesy of: Elena Olivo www.elenaolivo.com - Coach Damaris Soto and Elvis Calix-Lopez. Logos: Italian Association of Baseball for the Blind, the Italian League of Baseball for the Blind and the NY Lions Blind Baseball.