It all started when Frenchman Jean Eymere, a ski instructor in Aspen, Colorado lost his sight through diabetes. A few years after losing his sight, in 1969, he wanted to ski again. His friends and colleagues at the ski school assisted him and guided him safely down the
mountain.
This experiment was so encouraging, that the Aspen Ski School invited a group of blind persons from the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in Colorado Springs to share their new learned skills.
The Aspen Lions Club sponsored this event and provided bright yellow Jackets with a Lions emblem and a big imprint: “Blind Skier”. Aspen BOLD was born.
The news media picked up on the story; famous Olympic skiers like Kikki Cutter, Jean Claude Killy (a friend of the blind Jean Eymere), Stein Eriksen, Judy Nagel, Spider Sabich
and several others were on the Advisory Board; including Sam Skobel from Chicago and our own Lion Dick Kapp from Port Washington, Wisconsin.
Through Jean Eymere’s popularity and efforts BOLD organizations in
many cities across the country sprang up. Most disappeared again over the years.
Aspen BOLD in 2002 merged with Challenge Aspen and is no longer a function of the Lions Club. Event participants have to pay their own way.
In 1973/1974 during his term as District Governor of District 27A2 Lion Dick Kapp formed Milwaukee BOLD.
It was DG Lion Dick’s intention to get Lions and Lionesses directly and personally involved with leisure activities for the Visually Impaired and totally blind Persons (VIPs). VIPs from the Greater Milwaukee Area, from Hartford, Waukesha and Fond du Lac joined the group.
District 27A1 also got involved quite actively with participants from Racine and Kenosha and therefore BOLD was renamed: Southeastern Wisconsin Lions BOLD, Inc.
In 1977 Southeastern Wisconsin Lions BOLD, Inc. was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the State of Wisconsin. BOLD was first led by President Lion & VIP Ervin Bostwick from 1974 to 1977.The next President was Lion & VIP Richard Wolter from 1977
to 1983, followed by President Scott Norris from 1983 to 1985 and President Carol Roth, from1985 to 1986.
In 1986, Lion Ken Sosalla of the Waukesha Noon Lions was elected President and the organization has diversified and has made great progress ever since. Lion Ken served as President until April 2009.
Lion Bruce Laken of the Kenosha Lions Club now serves as President. Today approximately 180 VIPs, of which approximately 10 are Lions and Lionesses and approximately 90 volunteer guides, of which about 15 are Lions and Lionesses, participate in programs throughout the year.
What started out in January 1974, nervously, with 5 blind people wanting to go downhill skiing has grown into an average of 26 different summer and winter activities. Almost every other weekend some event is scheduled for the VIPs.
VIPs, Guides and Lion Cabinet Members as well as Club Presidents are being notified of these events via the BOLD Newsletter. VIPs and Guides sign up with an event coordinator who assures that enough guides are available.
Organization
BOLD is open to all legally blind people. Event participation is free. The organization is managed by a Board of Directors of ten, of which six have to be Lions or Lioness Club members.
Quarterly Board Meetings scrutinize and set the budget and approve the activity calendar. Because of the size of the BOLD group, donations are solicited from all Lion and Lioness Clubs of both Districts 27A1 and 27A2. Over 95% of the funding comes from these clubs, the rest of the donations from Milwaukee area sport shops, ski clubs and occasionally a private donation.
Purpose of BOLD
BOLD’s purpose is to allow the blind and visually impaired to experience outdoor sports and leisure activities while developing their social and athletic skills.
A valuable by-product is the interaction between new and often distraught VIPs and our veterans who have varying degrees of visual impairment.
Life lessons can be learned from someone like Lion Richard Wolter of Hartford, totally blind since age seventeen. He owns his own home- building Construction Company and is very successful.
Scott Hegle, totally blind, is a Regional Sales manger for a software company and travels several States!
Kevin Meyers, totally blind, is a systems analyst for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. A voice synthesizer helps him navigate the computer. Kevin lost his sight when he was 24 years old. See his detailed story in ’News for the Blind’.
New VIPs find out that not all is despair and that there is some fun left in life. Through the BOLD activities they increase their confidence levels and become more productive members of our society. Especially young VIPs benefit greatly by participating in BOLD events.
Today Southeastern Wisconsin Lions BOLD Inc. is by far the largest and most active BOLD organization in the USA. Something that all Lions and Lionesses of Districts 27A1 and 27A2 can be real proud of!
The Lions motto is: “We Serve”
With donations from most clubs, both Districts show that they are willing to serve the VIPs close to home. The many “Thank You” from VIPs and the good participation in the
events tell a good story about the usefulness and popularity of BOLD. Lions and Lionesses are especially invited to help and are welcomed to participate in BOLD activities.
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