Recently an article titled “Joe Mauk Remembers Lions Club Founding” ran in The Morehead News. My daughter, Britt, and I would like to say how grateful we are to Mr. Mauk and all the members of the Morehead Lions Club-both past and present-for the outstanding volunteer work that they do as “knights of the blind.”
Britt was born totally blind and was raised in Rowan County. The highlight of her summers between ages of 9 and 15 was attending camp for the Visually Impaired, sponsored by the Lions, at Trooper Island. Like every child who attended the camp, she cried when she reached age 15, the maximum age for campers. At the Lions camp there were always plenty of volunteers and fun activities. As Britt’s mom, I could be confident of her safety with the Lions in charge.
Blindness was only one of Britt’s major disabilities, but she went on to graduate suma cum laude from the University of Kentucky and has now worked for over five years for the Clovernook Center for the Blind in Cincinnati. In 2006 she addressed 500 people at the National Industries for the Blind convention in Phoenix, where she received the national blind employee of the year award (called the Peter J. Salmon Award).
Britt’s involved in a lot of activities, but she is most proud that she is now a Lion herself. As a member of the Kenwood Lions Club she volunteers her time with the organization that has done so much to prevent blindness and to help those with vision loss worldwide.
Thanks Joe Mauk, Mike Gray (president during the years Britt went to camp), and to every Lion that serves so selflessly.
Gail Lincoln
Morehead
