Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin Career Opportunities

Mission Statement

The Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)3, is a team of professionals and volunteers dedicated to the mission of restoring the Gift of Sight through recovery and transplantation of corneas, research to advance the knowledge and treatment of eye diseases, and education to increase donations of human eyes after death.

* Serving the entire state of Wisconsin, The Lion's Eye Bank of Wisconsin fulfills this mission by procuring, processing, and distributing eye tissue to corneal transplant surgeons, researchers, and teachers
* Equally important is our commitment to education through our network of medical professionals, Lions and Lioness Clubs and members, and other volunteers who give generously of their time, talent, and treasures.

The Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin continues its commitment to people in the present who receive transplants and those in the future who will benefit from the research

Our ultimate goal is to improve people's quality of life through the Gift of Sight.

History

The first eye bank program in the State of Wisconsin to assist the medical community in regard to the need for ocular tissue for transplant began in 1953 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through the Milwaukee Eye Bank. It was sponsored by the Marquette University Medical School. In 1964, the Milwaukee Eye Bank was taken over by the Wisconsin Lions Foundation (WLF) and was renamed the Wisconsin Lions Eye Bank. In 1969, a separate eye bank facility in Madison, Wisconsin, was started with similar goals to the Milwaukee program, and it was administered through the University of Wisconsin and University Hospitals and Clinics. Two eye banks in the State of Wisconsin divided areas of service based on geographical and demographic considerations. Both eye banks were directly governed by their respective medical school administrations and were funded, in part, by contributions of $25,000 per year to each program by WLF.

In 1998, the Wisconsin Lions Foundation, which had been the principal support organization for both the Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Wisconsin Lions Eye Bank), and the Madison, Wisconsin (Wisconsin Eye Bank), assisted in the development of a new eye bank for the State of Wisconsin, The Eyebank of Wisconsin, Inc. Consultants were brought to Wisconsin and provided key insight into eye bank programs. These consultants included Sue Janssen, Executive Director of the Cleveland Eye Bank, and Lion PID Gene Polgar, Executive Director of the Lions Eye Bank of Delaware Valley (Philadelphia). Darrel Talcott, a Lion and attorney in West Salem, Wisconsin, provided valuable legal advice and assisted in the incorporation of the new eye bank. The eye bank in Milwaukee was renamed as the Eye Bank of the Eye Institute and remained in operation as a non-Lions affiliated eye bank. The planning for eye bank reorganization in 1998 consisted of numerous lengthy meetings with Lions, WLF representatives, hospital administrators, surgeons, and eye bank staff. The Eyebank of Wisconsin, Inc. began eye bank efforts on June 1, 1998.

A letter of understanding between the eye bank, Lions Council of Governors, and WLF was approved in May 1998 as part of the strategic business plan of the new eye bank program. This letter stipulated financial support of the eye bank by WLF, provided WLF with the right to nominate Lions Directors for the eye bank Board of Directors, and restricted eye bank fund raising efforts with Lions to WLF efforts.

The IRS granted 501(c)3 status to the corporation in 1998. This allows for charitable contributions to be tax-deductable to the fullest extent of the law. While the eye bank was developed as a separate corporation from WLF, it was considered a project of WLF and the WLF Sight Committee also provided governance. The eye bank laboratory was located in Madison due to the proximity to multiple corneal transplant surgeons capable of providing medical direction to the eye bank. In addition, the Madison facility provides a centralized location for the transport of eyes within necessary timing limits.

WLF provided a startup loan and grant that greatly assisted eye bank efforts in the summer of 1998, with additional funding in November 2000. For the first years of operation, WLF provided financial grants to support ongoing programs. A Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) grant was obtained with matching funding from contributions from Lions District 27-D1 in the fall of 2002. This provided much needed funding for capital equipment purchase and technology upgrades by the eye bank.

In the spring of 1999, the eye bank in Milwaukee sought merger with the new Eyebank of Wisconsin and joint efforts started in June 1999. In June 2000, the name of the eye bank was changed to Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin, Inc. recognizing the efforts of Wisconsin Lions and following approval of Lions Clubs International. WLF pledged continuing financial support of the eye bank. In August 2000, the new facility in Madison began operation and all eye bank facilities in Milwaukee were closed by November 2000. Complete privatization and merger into a suitable facility had been achieved.

In May 2003, the Wisconsin Lions Foundation requested elimination of the Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin as a statewide WLF Lions sight project. Questions had existed for a number of years on Lions constitutional issues related to statewide Lions programs. Clarification was made at the Lions Council of Governors meeting on May 15, 2003 and at the subsequent Wisconsin Lions State Convention. All relationships between WLF and the eye bank were eliminated including nomination of directors and funding. The Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin, Inc. is now considered to be an affiliated organization of the Lions of Wisconsin Multiple District 27. The eye bank reports efforts, programs, and accomplishments directly to the Lions Council of Governors. The eye bank is required to request district cabinet authorization to solicit funds from Lions clubs and members annually. The Lions Council of Governors has also elected a representative from the Council of Governors to serve as a liaison with the Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin.