SAINT PAUL, Minn. (June 1, 2010) — Minnesota Lions Eye Bank, Inc., announces the 36th annual Minnesota Lions All-Star Baseball Tournament, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, June 25 and 26, 2010, in Chaska, Minnesota. The event is sponsored by the eye bank and the Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association.
80 of the best baseball players from Minnesota's 2010 high school graduates gather for two days of exciting tournament play at the beautiful Chaska Athletic Park. Tournament alums include Twins player Joe Mauer.
The public is encouraged to attend. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $4.00 (less for seniors and youth).
For more information, contact Jennifer Marshall at 1-866-887-4448 (toll-free) or 612-626-6081 (direct).
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (June 8, 2010) — Minnesota Lions Eye Bank invites the public to tour the office and laboratory on Wednesday, July 21, 2010. The eye bank will be open for tours from 3:00 to 5:00, and food and drink will be served from 3:00 to 7:00.
The Minnesota Lions Eye Bank is located in the University Enterprise Laboratories (UEL) building at 1000 Westgate Drive in Saint Paul. The eye bank is on the second floor in suite 260.
RSVP by July 8 to Grecia Glass at 1-866-887-4448 (toll-free) or 612-625-6458 (direct) or glass038@umn.edu.
Please see our Open House Flyer for more information.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (January 1, 2010) — In memory of Anthony "AJ" Salisbury, a cornea donor in 2009, a rose was placed in the Family Circle Garden of Donate Life's 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade float, "New Life Rising." The float is a tribute to donation that is seen by millions on New Year's Day.
Since 2004, organizations united to inspire people to "Donate Life" through organ, eye, tissue, and blood donation have entered a float in the century-old Rose Parade. The Rose Parade attracts a million spectators, more than 30 million U.S. television viewers, and a broadcast audience in 150 countries.
"New Life Rising" features a soaring phoenix that represents life coming out of death. When people say 'Yes' to organ, eye and tissue donation, New Life Rises, giving hope and healing to those in need. It is hoped that those who see the beautiful float on New Year's Day, will be inspired to rise up and join the 85 million Americans who, like AJ, registered to be eye, tissue, and organ donors.
For more information, contact Jennifer Marshall at 1-866-887-4448 (toll-free) or 612-626-6081 (direct).
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (November 27, 2009) — Lions and their affiliated eye banks are celebrating the sight-saving work of Lions eye banks during Lions Eye Bank Week. Lions Eye Bank Week is officially December 7 through December 13, but the valuable services that Lions make possible through their eye banks is worthy of a month-long celebration.
Today, more than 100 years after the world's first cornea transplant, 53 eye banks throughout the world have a Lions affiliation. The Minnesota Lions Eye Bank is fortunate to be one such eye bank, and the benefits they reap from the affiliation are many.
Minnesota Lions donate fundraising proceeds to the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank, serve as corneal tissue transporters, and volunteer at the eye bank. The eye bank has a 22-person board of directors composed of Lions in good standing. Directors oversee Lions' funding for the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank and report on eye bank activities to the Lions of Minnesota. They also promote the eye bank and the other sight programs at the University of Minnesota to fellow Lions and to the community.
Those who would like to find out more about the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank are invited to call the eye bank at 1-866-887-4448 and schedule a tour of the facility during December.
For more information, contact Jennifer Marshall at 1-866-887-4448 (toll-free) or 612-626-6081 (direct).
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (May 1, 2008) — Minnesota Lions Eye Bank participated in a national donor study that shows corneal transplants using tissue from older donors have similar success rates to those using tissue from younger donors. This study was funded by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health and published in the April 2008 issue of Ophthalmology.
The five-year transplant success rate for recipients in the study was the same — 86 percent — whether a cornea from a donor aged 12 to 65 years was used or one from a donor aged 66 to 75. The findings reinforce the longstanding practice of the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank to provide transplant cornea tissue from donors up to age 75. The eye bank also accepts eye donations from donors older than 75 for use in medical education and research.
Eye and cornea donors have met the cornea transplant needs in the United States for the past ten years. However, recent changes in Food and Drug Administration regulations will likely cause a decrease in the supply of donated corneas. At the same time, the number of cornea transplants performed in the U. S. last year rose 16 percent. Accepting donor eye tissue from older donors will help secure the needed cornea tissue supply.
"This pivotal study indicates that corneas from older individuals are just as successful when used for transplants as those from younger donors," said Donald Doughman, M.D., Minnesota Lions Eye Bank medical director. "Expansion of the donor eligibility age will have a positive effect on the quality of life for individuals who need cornea transplants by increasing the potential number of donors."
More than 1,100 individuals who needed cornea transplants participated in the study that included 105 cornea surgeons and 43 eye banks.
For more information, contact Jennifer Marshall at 1-866-887-4448 (toll-free) or 612-626-6081 (direct).
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (March 12, 2008) — More than 100,000 Americans are in need of eye, organ, and tissue donations right now. Each day, 100 people are added to the national transplant waiting list, and worldwide there are too few corneas to restore the sight of all those who are in need of transplants. One person can make a difference.
Lives are saved or dramatically improved when you say "yes" to donation by legally registering yourself as a donor. Persons are legally registered if they add "donor" to a driver's license or state identification card or if they sign up through the Minnesota online donation registry www.DonateLifeMN.org.
Lions clubs throughout the state have joined the effort to increase the number of registered donors. Friends to the blind and sight-impaired for more than 80 years, Lions are encouraging people to support eye donation by running a 10,000 Signatures for Sight campaign. The campaign goal is to add a minimum of 10,000 legally registered donors to the Minnesota registry.
A recent University of Minnesota study found that 97 percent of Minnesotans supported organ and tissue donation, yet data from the Department of Public Safety reveals that only 43 percent of Minnesotans have donor marked on their licenses. The Lions hope to close the gap between those who support donation and those who commit their support to writing.
Help save and improve lives. Please visit www.DonateLifeMN.org to register or contact your local Lions club to participate in the 10,000 Signatures for Sight campaign.
For more information, contact Jennifer Marshall at 1-866-887-4448 (toll-free) or 612-626-6081 (direct).