Members of the Ellijay Lions Club will be at several local shopping centers Friday and Saturday, April 16-17, to collect donations that will help continue the club’s mission of providing eyesight services to those in need.
The White Cane Days collection drive will be conducted from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. both days at the entrance and exit to Walmart, as well as entrances to Chick-fil-A, Ingles and McDonald’s, all in East Ellijay.
The local Lions Club did not do its spring bucket brigade drive last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, noted club member Ruthann Harding. This one will put the club back on schedule by returning White Cane Days to its regular timeframe of April. Another bucket brigade drive is typically done later in the year to help fund the club’s White Christmas program.
Money raised during White Cane Days goes toward preventing blindness in Georgia and Gilmer County through the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, which provides vision and hearing services for those in need.
Many local residents have been able to receive eye exams or eyeglasses through the Lions Club program.