Medway Lion Patricia Kalicki, former Medway Lions President, wrapped up her one-year term as president of Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund, Inc. (MLERFi) on June 30, 2026.

Through her efforts, along with her other board members and Lions Clubs across Massachusetts, MLERFi was able to raise nearly $1.8 million for cutting edge conceptual vision research.

The Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund was formed in October 1951, bestowing its first grant of $5,000 to Dr. Ingalls at Harvard Medical School. Ingalls' research was instrumental in discovering the cause of "baby blindness" among premature babies, that was the result of too much oxygen being used in incubators. Today, over 125,000 adults can see because of the foresight and concern of these Lions.

Over the years, MLERF has helped to establish three major eye research centers in Boston: Howe Laboratory of Ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye & Ear, Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Laboratory at Boston University Medical Center, and the Lions Laboratory for Genetic Research at Schepens Eye Research Institute. Since 1955, Lions Clubs of Massachusetts, in partnership with Lions International Foundation, has donated more than $43 million in pure conceptual vision research projects, funding seed money for clinical research and initial clinical trials that pave the way for further research funding and many medical advancements and medical devices that have helped those with vision impairment.

To learn more about Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund, Inc., visit www.mlerfi.org. If you're interested in learning more about Lions Clubs International or your local Lions Club, email Debbie Hayes at [email protected].