White Cane Safety Day
In Ohio, drivers must yield to a white cane.
Lions have backed the white cane since 1930. For White Cane Safety Day, give to the Westerville Lions Club's sight projects, October 15 through October 31.
Gifts are received by the Westerville Lions Club Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and are tax-deductible as allowed by law. EIN 32-0467239.
Give to the White Cane campaign
At checkout, Zeffy, the platform that processes gifts, offers an optional contribution to itself. You can set it to $0 and your gift to the Lions is unchanged.
Zeffy emails you a receipt for your records.
Why a white cane
A white cane is a tool for independence and a signal to everyone nearby. The Lions have helped tell that story for more than ninety years.
1930
In Peoria, Illinois, the Lions Club, led by its president George A. Bonham, painted canes white with a red band after Bonham watched a blind man cross the street with a black cane no driver could see. On December 9, 1930, Peoria passed the first white cane right-of-way ordinance.
1931
Lions Clubs International adopted the white cane program at its convention in Toronto.
1964
Public Law 88-628, signed October 6, 1964, set aside October 15 as White Cane Safety Day, proclaimed by the President each year.
2011
October 15 also became Blind Americans Equality Day.
In Ohio
Ohio Revised Code 4511.47 requires drivers to yield to a pedestrian who is using a guide dog or a predominantly white or metallic cane.
What your gift does
Your gift supports the Lions' sight projects.
About the Westerville Lions Club
We are neighbors serving Westerville, Ohio since 1928, through youth programs, hunger relief and community projects as well as sight. Every month we collect used eyeglasses for people who need them.