The White Cane Days program provides funds for financial aid to nonprofit institutions serving the blind, for the purchase of special opthainological equipinent for hospitals and clinics, for summer vacations and recreation for sightless children, for eye surgerys and therapy in schools, for mobile vision screening units, for Braille writers and books, for providing meeting places and assistance for sightless groups, and to finance surgery and hospital care for worthy people.

In the United States, the introduction of the white cane is attributed to George A. Bonham of the Lions Clubs International [1]. In 1930, a Lions Club member watched as a man who was blind attempted to cross the street with a black cane that was barely visible to motorists against the dark pavement. The Lions decided to paint the cane white to make it more visible. In 1931, Lions Clubs International began a program promoting the use of white canes for people who are blind.

White Cane Days is truly a grass roots project, where individual Lions get out and meet the public one-on-one. Who knows what enduring public relations benefits have accrued to the Lions iinage as a result of participating members wearing their highly visible vests while chainpioning.