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.
“I’ve always had poor vision,” said Stolfa, who has been married to her husband Tom for 44 years.
“I stopped reading gradually because it was a pain in the butt and started doing puzzles all the time because they’re bigger.”
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–albeit as eBooks.
“It’s exciting,” said Stolfa, about the new piece of technology.
“This is something that’s new and exciting to me and it’s not something we would have done without some help.”
To make it easier for her to read, the iPad’s settings have been changed so the text is inverted, meaning the words are white and the background is black.
“It’s so much easier for me to read,” said Helen, explaining she can’t read newspapers because the text often gets lost in the background.
“Helen has always loved to read,” piped up Tom. “Even as a child her grandfather would give a dollar for each ‘A’ she got at school and she used that money to buy books.”
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.
“I haven’t used a camera in 15 years and now I can,” said Helen.
Despite her limitations, Helen remains upbeat about her situation.
“I can see and do an awful lot of things, you’re just fuzzy,” she said, explaining she has very poor depth perception and it’s difficult to see in dark places.
The Lions Club first heard about Helen’s 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.
“I will always be grateful to Diane and the Lions Club,” said Tom.
He also said the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) was a huge help and very encouraging.
“Their whole goal is to help you utilize what’s in the world and make it possible for you to access it,” said Tom, explaining they help people with visual limitations learn how to get the most out of their computer.
Murray Ostrander, president of the Jasper Lions Club, said it was an easy decision to help the couple.
“This is right in line with what we typically do,” said Murray, “We’re one of the few groups that will help out individuals, most groups don’t.”
He said one of the Lions Club’s main priorities internationally is to help prevent blindness, restore eyesight and improve eye care.
Annually, the club donates between $20,000 and $40,000 to support local people and causes.
“We always seem to have more need than we have money.”
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’s Day on June 19.
