With our annual "Hoops For Sight" fundraiser for eyesight disease research fast approaching on Saturday, April 20 (see our "Hoops For Sight" page on this website), here is important background information:

“Rich Arnold Memorial HOOPS FOR SIGHT”
Raising Funds to Fight Retinal Degenerative Diseases

The Shiloh Lions Club, in conjunction with the Foundation Fighting Blindness will be holding its 16th annual “Hoops for Sight” fundraiser on April 20, 2024 at the Zion United Methodist Church, 1030 Carlisle Road, York PA from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
While the “Hoops for Sight” fundraiser will be raising funds, it will also be trying to raise awareness for degenerative retinal diseases and the research which appears to be on the verge of reversing sight loss in many of these victims of the disease. This research is helping those affected by retinal degenerative diseases, such as Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), Usher Syndrome, and Macular Degeneration.
Lions Clubs were tasked to be “knights for the blind” in the 1920s by no less than Helen Keller. Fighting blindness has been a special emphasis of the Lions ever since. The Shiloh Club was made aware of retinal diseases when one of the members met a young girl suffering from RP, a disease which progressively reduces the victim’s ability to see the world, starting with the loss of peripheral vision and leading to gradual deterioration of all vision. One of the brightest promises in treating these retinal diseases is the ever-improving fields of gene and/or stem cell therapy which will not only slow these diseases, but perhaps even reverse them.
While fundraising with the first Hoops events, a volunteer working at our fundraiser joined our Lions Club. Her family is afflicted with the inherited form of RP. Not only do her three adult children have the disease, her 16-year-old grandson was diagnosed when he was four with the disease as well. Knowing that RP is affecting the vision of such a young member of our community is added incentive for the Club.
Concurrently, Club members and/or their family members or friends have also suffered from Macular Degeneration over the years and members have become very aware of the problems caused by this retinal disease. Macular Degeneration also has the possibility of being greatly diminished by the research that this program funds.
All funds raised will be forwarded to the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB), a national non-profit which provides funding for research into possible cures for these diseases, including the gene therapy which holds so much promise. To date, the Shiloh Lions have raised over $100,000 for this research.
“Hoops for Sight” is a fundraiser which will allow residents to collect pledges and then shoot foul shots for prizes. In addition, the Club works with local businesses and industries to bundle individual donations, run raffles, and sells refreshments that day to increase the money raised and sent to the FFB.
For more information, contact Bonnie Hensel at 717-668-6036.