CAMDEN — The Camden Lions Club recently presented LifeFlight of Maine with a donation of $2,000 to help purchase night vision goggles. Lions Club members are dedicated to the ideal of service, be it community service or service to those in need. Helen Keller dubbed Lions Club International the "Knights of the Blind," so it seemed appropriate that the Camden Lions should make this donation to help give night sight to LifeFlight.

LifeFlight implemented night vision goggles on its two helicopters several years ago, greatly improving the safety and reliability of all flights after dark, which make up about 40 percent of the organization's total transports. LifeFlight will open a third base of operations in Sanford later this month, and the donation from the Camden Lions Club will help purchase night vision goggles for the crew providing care out of this southernmost facility.

Since 2015, civic organizations from across Maine have been supporting this fundraising effort, and together have raised more than $15,000. Each pair of night vision goggles costs approximately $12,000, and the new Sanford flight crew will need four pairs.

"LifeFlight was created to serve the people of Maine," said Executive Director Thomas Judge in a news release. "In order to do what's best for our patients, which includes flying as safely as we possibly can, we rely on donations from individuals, businesses and civic groups like the Lions Club to help purchase specialized equipment. We simply couldn't provide the high level of care that Mainers deserve without this kind of generous community support."

Carter Duke, the young man in the accompanying photo, was a recipient of LifeFlight's services when he wasn't even a year old. He was flown by LifeFlight helicopter from Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where he received the pediatric care that he needed. Carter and his family, grateful for this much needed medical service in Maine, served as important reminders of how many local friends and neighbors have already been helped by LifeFlight and its crew.

To learn more about how you can become a Lions Club member, call Bette or Jerry Stone at 207-542-9067. Both the Camden Lions Club and LifeFlight of Maine welcome volunteers.

The LifeFlight Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides fundraising and public relations support to LifeFlight of Maine. The funds raised are used to purchase aircraft and medical equipment, and also support statewide aviation improvements and outreach programs.