About SD Lions Eye Bank
A Lions task force was formed in the mid-sixties to get an Eye Bank started with the help of the South Dakota Lions Clubs. At that time, funeral directors, doctors and sometimes nurses removed the eyes from donors. Lions members transported tissue to the Minnesota or Nebraska border in relay fashion for use at their eye banks.

Dr. Thomas White started a part time eye bank in the early 80s in Sioux Falls at his office. He did this until 1991 when a full time eye bank opened in Sioux Valley Hospital with Christine Belitz as its only full time employee. Chris visited all the lions clubs and hospitals and started training enucleates to help her.

The Eye Bank had 99 donors its first year. The second year we had over three hundred donors. We now average 250-300 donors per year. In the spring of 1997, the SD Lions Eye Bank started training with the American Red Cross. We did this as a possible way of increasing all types of tissue donation, both for us and the Red Cross. The Eye Bank moved into our current facility October 9, 1997. The SD Lions provided much help, buying furniture, painting and cleaning, even moving boxes.

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