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Lions Club International has been a big part of life for Edward Cordes, OD '77. That was true while he was in practice and it’s still true now that he’s retired.
So when Lions KidSight USA — a program of Lions International — was recognized with the Champion for Vision award at the recent annual meeting of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) in Salt Lake City, Dr. Cordes was thrilled.
In fact, as KidSight USA chairman and Lions Club International past director, Dr. Cordes was honored to accept the award for the group.
“We recognize that 80 percent of a child’s learning and development requires healthy, corrected vision,” said Dr. Cordes in accepting the award. “Through the KidSight program, Lions train and mobilize caring people to easily and efficiently screen the vision health of youth to help ensure they receive interventions to promote the academic and social development success that we all deserve.”
While at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), Dr. Cordes was involved in the Student Optometric Service to Haiti (SOSH). His interest in the organization was prompted by his military service in Vietnam, and Dr. Cordes was chairman of the SOSH group his senior year. That, in turn, led to a Lions Club International membership, since the Lions supported the SOSH program. Dr. Cordes would eventually serve at the local, state, national and international level with the organization.
During his career, Dr. Cordes was elected to serve a two-year term as a director of Lions Clubs International at the association's 79th International Convention, held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1996; and he was appointed to the international board of directors by International President Kajt Habanananda during the 1998-99 Lions’ year.
He currently serves as chair of the Lions KidSight USA Foundation, an initiative to create a national vision screening program for kids six months to six years old in which all Lions Clubs in the United States have the opportunity to participate.
The Champion for Vision award is a joint award presented by the Children’s Eye Foundation of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology (CEF of AAPOS) and AAPOS, and it celebrates organizations and/or individuals that have made extraordinary efforts to champion children’s vision.
