Hopeful Ways

03/12/2026

Thank you Rivas Decano Lions Club. A valuable partner for Hopeful Ways helping the people of Nicaragua improve their eyesight.

Con Hopeful Ways – ¡Me acaban de reconocer como uno de sus fans destacados! 🎉

03/10/2026

🦋 Hopeful Ways | Winter 2026 Newsletter 🦋
👀 See what’s new!

Discover our latest medical and humanitarian missions, plus education initiatives improving the quality of life for communities across Nicaragua. 🇳🇮

➡️ View the full newsletter PDF — link below! ⬇️
📩 DM us to join our email list and stay connected.

03/06/2026

Thanks to the Youngstown-Lions for the generous onation and for inviting Jim Carlins to speak about the Hopeful Ways mission.

We had a great meeting on Tuesday with guest speaker Jim Carlins from the local organization, Hopeful Ways. He’s pictured with our President, Lion Stu.

Jim shared about the impactful work Hopeful Ways is doing as a nonprofit supporting communities around the world. Through their efforts, Hopeful Ways partners with Lion Clubs and local communities in places like Nicaragua and Costa Rica to provide resources, support, and opportunities that make a lasting difference.

Their work includes providing eye exams, procedures, and other treatments to people who otherwise may not have access to this care. It was inspiring to hear about the positive impact being made and the ways individuals and organizations can help support these communities.

Thank you to Jim for taking the time to speak with us and share the mission and heart behind Hopeful Ways! Be sure to check out their work on their page.

As Lions we love to serve and to help others that love to serve as well!

🦁

02/22/2026

Hundreds of people arrived at the reading glasses distribution of event held by the Club De Leones Nicoya. The reading glasses were donated by Hopeful Ways during their recent eye care mission to the town.

02/18/2026

A Hopeful Ways meeting with the Club De Leones Nicoya to wrap up the recent eye care mission and help them prepare their reading glasses dispensing event this weekend.

02/14/2026

Thanks To Reichert Ametek for graciously providing a tonopen for the recent Hopeful Ways Eye Care Mission to Nicoya Costa Rica. The tonopen allowed our doctors to provide more advanced diagnostic patient examinations. Hopeful Ways strives to provide the highest quality of eye care for its patients.

02/10/2026

Thanks to a grant from the Asia India Community Foundation (AICF), Hopeful Ways is now able to provide more advanced diagnostic patient examinations. The purchase of a Fundus (retinal) camera provided detailed diagnosis of retinal issues. The photos below are just a few of the issues diagnosed in many patients during the recent Hopeful Ways Eye Care Mission to Nicoya Costa Rica.If not for the Hopeful Ways Clinic, these issues would have remained undiagnosed for 2 to 3 additional years. Thank you AICF!
Club De Leones Nicoya

02/05/2026

The Hopeful Ways Eye Care Mission Team conducted a 5 day Eye Care Clinic in cooperation with the Nicoya Lions Club and Hospital La Anexión during January 26 - 30, 2026. The clinic provided free eye care services to 790 patients. This significantly reduced the 3,200 person list of people, some of whom would have waited up to 3 years for an eye exam.

The clinic provided free eye exams including: visual acuity test, intraocular pressure (IOP) test and refraction. Based on the results of these tests, the patient could receive an eyeglass prescription from the optometrist, if appropriate, and a referral to the Hopeful Ways ophthalmologist for a more detailed diagnostic examination.

Patient demographics by day, age and s*x are shown below.

02/05/2026

An official letter of appreciation was received by Hopeful Ways from the Club De Leones Nicoya for the 21 volunteers who executed the 1-week clinic to help 790 Costa Ricans see more clearly. A translation of the letter follows:
===================
Nicoya, February 4, 2026
To:
Hopeful Ways Foundation
Carlins Jim, Carlins Loretta, Bansal Surbhi, Bowman Gail, Bowman Matt, Briggs Julia, Briggs Rob, Britt Kay, Davies Philip, Herrera Linda, Herrera Luis, Nelson Lilly, OMalley Mike, Rizzo Gale, Rizzo Joe, Roach Polly, Ryker Cris, Shiah Joe, Swenson Kerry, Van Pelt Rae Ann, Walker Pat.

Dear Friends:

From the Nicoya Lions Club, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Hopeful Ways Foundation for conducting, for the second consecutive year, the "Eye Care" campaign, held from January 26 to 30, 2026, in conjunction with the Nicoya Annexation Hospital. During this campaign, high-quality and compassionate care was provided to patients who needed prompt attention to improve their vision. Your generosity and commitment to our community have had a significant impact on the lives of 790 people.

The event was a success, thanks to the dedication and professionalism of each member of this mission who joined us.

We are grateful for your support and hope to collaborate again in this service work in the future, as fellow Lions.

Julia Rita Loria Garcia
President, Nicoya Lions Club 2025-2026

02/04/2026

When abnormalities arose during the 790 eye exams at the clinic, the Hopeful Ways ophthalmologist provided a more in-depth diagnosis which included eye dilation and examination using a slit lamp and a fundus (retina) camera. In addition to 168 cataract and 49 pterygium patients identified, 127 patients presented with other abnormal conditions. Of these 344 patients, 127 were deemed to have conditions that warranted follow-up examination and treatment, and these patients were referred to the hospital ophthalmologist. The hospital ophthalmologist also received complete reports detailing the reason for each patient's referral.

10/26/2025

Another successful eye clinic that helped 105 people.