Lions have much to roar about

    A 75-year history of following their motto, “We Serve,” was celebrated by Holyoke Lions Club at a community anniversary party Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Phillips County Event Center.
    Not eager to toot their own horns but always ready with helping, serving hands, the Lions Club members have established their presence in a big way in Holyoke.
    From the Fly the Flag program on holidays to the concessions stand at the ballpark to bingo every other Sunday night and much, much more, Lions Club keeps busy in a service mode.
    Collection of unwanted eyeglasses and hearing aids to be recycled and used by those in need goes on year-round. Boxes for this effort were set up Saturday.
    Vernette Baldwin conducted a KidSight demonstration. Colorado Lions KidSight provides free vision screenings and follow-ups for children 6 months through 6 years old. The screening equipment was demonstrated and explained.
    The Lions Fishin’ Hole east of town and annual Halloween costume contests and Easter egg hunts for youth of the community are only a few examples of the fun provided by the local Lions.
    And Saturday’s event was all about fun.
    Leo the Lion mingled with the gathered crowd to offer high-fives, hugs and smiles to all.
    Lions trivia and guess-the-number-of-candy-pieces-in-the-jar games were enjoyed by those who attended, and door prizes were won by many.
    With Holyoke Lions Club being the local Cub Scouts’ charter organization, it was with pride that Scouts conducted the opening flag ceremony.
    Special guests who traveled to take part in the celebration were Debbie Day, district governor; Ken Schwols, past international director; Ken Moore, immediate past district governor; Carol Lambert, district first vice president; and Michelle Gowen, second district vice president.
    Holyoke Lions president Matt Meusborn emceed the program, assisted by numerous members and their families. Refreshments were served as the program concluded.
    
Romero touts Lions Clubs in his story of running across the U.S.
    Highlighting Saturday’s program were the motivating words of Jason Romero, the first and only blind ultra-athlete to run across America.
    Detailing his 59.5-day run that started at Santa Monica Pier in California March 25, 2016, and ended in New York City May 23, 2016, Romero told about his connection with the Lions Club in Missouri.
    Three Lions came out to the side of the road to meet Romero and his mother, “and we got told about Lions,” said Romero on Saturday.
    They learned of the “We Serve” motto and how Helen Keller attended the Lions Clubs International convention in 1925 and challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.”
    The Lions accepted her challenge, and their work ever since has included sight programs aimed at preventable blindness.
    “Lions, keep doing what you’re doing,” said Romero on Saturday, adding, “Lions has supported me, and I want to support you.”
    “A Challenge to Change” is how Romero defines his cross-country running journey.
    At age 14, Romero’s school eye screening led him to a specialist who diagnosed retinitis pigmentosa. Little by little, he would lose his peripheral view as his retina died.
    Asked by an eye doctor what he wanted to do with his life, Romero responded with what he’d been saying for some time — a doctor or lawyer. He was told to forget it and learn to do something with his hands.
    It wasn’t easy, but through rigorous study, Romero persevered and earned a full-ride scholarship to law school. He eventually earned his Juris Doctor degree and ran a $400 million company for General Electric for 10 years.
    “Like with anyone who has success, you also fail,” said Romero. He described his life three short years ago when he was feeling like the biggest failure in life. His eyesight had deteriorated to where it was unsafe to drive, he was divorced, and he was a single parent to three children, including one with autism.
    “I slipped into depression and was in a bad trajectory,” said Romero.
    At that point, he had a calling to change — to accept the challenge of running across America.
    VisionRun USA was not about sight. “My sight is going, but vision is different. Vision is in our hearts,” said Romero.
    He told about his Triple-A strategy (Adversity, Adapt, Achieve) for making relentless forward progress in all areas of his life.
    Romero trained for 18 months, beginning by running 30-40 miles per week, leading up to 300-plus miles a week prior to his 60-day run across America.
    But in addition to the physical training, he had to figure out how to get the word out. One night he taught himself to create a website, establishing a way to raise the $20,000 needed to get from coast to coast.
    He began to think about the fact that he hadn’t been apart from his kids for more than a couple of weeks, and now he was looking at a two-month span. Additionally, he had to figure the logistics of crossing the country.
    “I was trying to do it all,” said Romero, noting he eventually resorted to a Helen Keller quote, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
    He recruited his mom as a team member, and she made the journey with him, driving his brother’s 12-year-old minivan along the route. Strangers came to his aid, and neighbors helped as well.
    At age 46, his 60-day run began just a year and a half ago.
    Life lessons were learned through the running process. “When doing something over and over, be as efficient as possible,” was an early lesson.
    “Sleep. Eat. Drink. Run. Repeat.” That was the daily mantra. Soaking feet in ice water to reduce swelling, eating 10,000 calories a day to maintain strength and endurance, taking Epsom salt baths followed by ice baths, applying first aid — it was all part of the routine — over and over.
    “Small things matter,” was another life lesson for Romero. Explaining that he cut out the toe boxes of his shoes to prevent blisters, he said that occasionally rocks would get in. While they usually worked themselves out, one particular time one stayed in and he developed what he thought was a blister on his foot.
    By the third day, he couldn’t stand on his foot, and he discovered it wasn’t a blister but a bite of some sort. He treated the bite, resorted to a larger-size shoe that he’d brought along and razor-cut the side of the shoe.
    He remembers that lesson well of how very small things, if left unattended, can turn into huge problems. Cracks can become crevices in life.
    “Hold the line” was the next lesson, offered to Romero by a 93-year-old who had crossed America by foot years ago. It referred to staying on the white line on the highway and making vehicles move to miss you.
    “Sometimes in life we need to stand up for ourselves,” said Romero in the life lesson learned from holding the line.
    In what he calls a bare-bones trip with just himself and his mom and his brother’s 12-year-old minivan, Romero emphasized that he had a plan B if for some reason his mom couldn’t continue. “You must always have a plan B,” he told the crowd.
    Romero got hit by a car in the Midwest. He was fortunately back on the running trail with little setback. He learned how to anticipate the vacuum created as a semi passes.
    He duct-taped a stick and did a wild yell antic to sort of ward off vehicles. “Sometimes you have to innovate to survive.”
    “What changed me?” asked Romero, as he highlighted four things.
    —Faith and hope. Believe in possibilities and hold on when others say something can’t be done.
    —Patience. This too shall pass.
    —Consistency. If you make daily consistent efforts, you’ll receive consistent results.
    —Forgiveness — the path to peace. “Many days I ran angry — angry that I was going blind, that I had to be away from my kids. But halfway through the run, I was able to get to a point of peace and was then able to run faster and stronger.”
    Showing a brief video of his journey of a lifetime, Romero referenced his 51.5-mile-per-day average in his run across America that took 59.5 days.
    Romero issued the challenge to change. “Accept challenge on a daily basis. If it doesn’t challenge you, it will never change you,” he added.
    “For me, my eyesight wasn’t going to be an excuse not to finish,” said Romero.
    He describes the run as the first time he did something that wasn’t for himself. “I ran across America, but now my work begins.”
    This story resonates with kids and people in general, and Romero is using it to motivate and inspire.