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:
The Journey Begins:
Our First Fishing Expedition
In May 2019, Alex Barrera and Eris Skander embarked on the NY FiDi Lions Club's very first fishing expedition at the Finger Lakes, generously sponsored by the Financial District Lions Club.
The founding members of our Blind Sports Fishing Team include:
Alex Barrera
Robert Weekes
Braulio Thorne
Eris Skander
Dana Shapiro
Hashieem Kirkland
Our Objective
The primary objective of the Fishing Team is to compete in the NC VIP Lions Fishing Tournament (www.ncvipfishing.org), which is the largest tournament of its kind in the world.
(Photo: Last year’s fishing expedition in Babylon, Long Island.)
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About the NY FiDi Lions Blind Sports League
The NY FiDi Lions Blind Sports League was formed in the early spring of 2019 as a branch of the Financial District Lions Club in Multiple District 20-R2. It was subsequently incorporated in the spring of 2020, registering as a not-for-profit New York State Corporation.
(Donations are 100% tax-deductible.)
There are an estimated 52,000 school-age children who are blind or visually impaired in the United States, and nearly 70 percent do not participate in even limited physical education. By stepping in, we strive to help these children experience the joy and growth that sports provide.
The Benefits of Sports
The positive effects of sports participation for blind and partially sighted individuals cannot be underestimated. Regardless of prior experience, learning to move freely without fear and improving physical health serves as a vital gateway to:
Social inclusion and community participation.
Increased confidence and self-esteem.
Encouragement to navigate the world safely and independently.
The ability to live life on their own terms while strengthening both social and motor skills.
Our Mission
The mission of the NY FiDi Lions Sport League is to motivate and teach visually impaired children and adults to practice sports, enabling them to enjoy the same freedom of independent movement and skill development that any sighted person experiences through athletics.
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.