Furry ambassador: Leader Dog for Blind visits Aurora
A furry, four-legged ambassador visited Aurora Saturday, Aug. 19.
She was Mya, a puppy being raised by Harold Owens of Rockford for Leader Dogs for the Blind.
Mya's mission was to raise awareness for Leader Dogs, a Rochester Hills, Mich.-based nonprofit that provides blind or visually impaired people with life skills for safe and independent travel. Leader Dog programs include guide-dog training, orientation and mobility training and a summer camp for legally blind 16- and 17-year-olds.
Mya and Owens were hosted by Aurora Noon Lions Club of Lions Clubs International, a Leader Dogs partner since 1939.
Owens, 82, is among volunteer puppy raisers who devote 12-14 months to preparing a puppy for formal Leader Dog training. Mya is Owens' 17th dog.
More information on puppy raising options is available at LeaderDog.org.
Beth Slade, philanthropy director for Leader Dogs and a member of Lake Orion (Mich.) Lions Club, accompanied Mya and Owens.
According to Leader Dog, free annual benefits of the Lions Club-Leader Dog partnership include 1,095,000 days of independence for visually impaired people, 200 Leader Dogs matched with clients, 100 clients provided with white-cane training, 24 teens who gain leadership and travel skills, and six deaf/blind clients who receive customized guide-dog training.
Founded in 1922, Aurora Noon Lions Club is in its second century of community service.
Open to men and women interested in community service, the club meets at noon on the first and third Thursdays at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 27 S. Edgelawn Drive in Aurora. Prospective members are invited.
With the motto "We Serve," Lions volunteers focus on supporting causes including hearing and vision impairment, hunger, the environment, diabetes and childhood cancer.
Lions Clubs is the largest service club organization in the world. Approximately 1.4 million members in more than 48,000 clubs serve in 200 countries and geographic areas worldwide.
Since 1917, Lions have strengthened local communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects and extended service impact through the Lions Clubs Foundation.
For more information about Lions Clubs, visit lionsclubs.org.