For as long as Helen Stolfa can remember she has always struggled with her sight.
Legally blind in one eye and partially blind in the other, the 63-year-old has worn glasses since grade 4 and in the last 10 years she has been unable to drive a car. In more recent years her eye sight deteriorated to the point where she was no longer able to read a book.
鈥淚鈥檝e always had poor vision,鈥� said Stolfa, who has been married to her husband Tom for 44 years.
鈥淚 stopped reading gradually because it was a pain in the butt and started doing puzzles all the time because they鈥檙e bigger.鈥�
Determined to help Helen regain her ability to read, the Jasper Lions Club recently donated $400 to help the couple purchase a new iPad, which has allowed her to read novels again鈥揳lbeit as eBooks.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting,鈥� said Stolfa, about the new piece of technology.
鈥淭his is something that鈥檚 new and exciting to me and it鈥檚 not something we would have done without some help.鈥�
To make it easier for her to read, the iPad鈥檚 settings have been changed so the text is inverted, meaning the words are white and the background is black.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so much easier for me to read,鈥� said Helen, explaining she can鈥檛 read newspapers because the text often gets lost in the background.
鈥淗elen has always loved to read,鈥� piped up Tom. 鈥淓ven as a child her grandfather would give a dollar for each 鈥楢鈥� she got at school and she used that money to buy books.鈥�
Not only has the iPad helped her to read again, she also intends to use it as a camera to zoom in on road signs and ATM machines.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 used a camera in 15 years and now I can,鈥� said Helen.
Despite her limitations, Helen remains upbeat about her situation.
鈥淚 can see and do an awful lot of things, you鈥檙e just fuzzy,鈥� she said, explaining she has very poor depth perception and it鈥檚 difficult to see in dark places.
The Lions Club first heard about Helen鈥檚 visual impairment through Diane and Richard Crayston, who they met through St. Mary and St. George Anglican Church and are also members of the Lions Club.
鈥淚 will always be grateful to Diane and the Lions Club,鈥� said Tom.
He also said the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) was a huge help and very encouraging.
鈥淭heir whole goal is to help you utilize what鈥檚 in the world and make it possible for you to access it,鈥� said Tom, explaining they help people with visual limitations learn how to get the most out of their computer.聽
Murray Ostrander, president of the Jasper Lions Club, said it was an easy decision to help the couple.
鈥淭his is right in line with what we typically do,鈥� said Murray, 鈥淲e鈥檙e one of the few groups that will help out individuals, most groups don鈥檛.鈥�
He said one of the Lions Club鈥檚 main priorities internationally is to help prevent blindness, restore eyesight and improve聽eye care.
Annually, the club donates between $20,000 and $40,000 to support local people and causes.
鈥淲e always seem to have more need than we have money.鈥�
To support the club, the non-profit group will be hosting its second annual Easter egg hunt at Lions Park March 27. They are also hosting a family day event for Father鈥檚 Day on June 19.
