Dr. Stern and Arizona Eye Care have spent significant time giving back to the community through free services to people in need, and participating in Anthem community associations.
Dr. Stern serves with Sight Conservation and Vision USA, state-funded organizations that offer free eye-care for the indigent. He volunteers one day a week providing eye-health care and home calls.
He has served three years with the Lions Club, an international network of 1.3 million men and women around the globe who work to end preventable blindness. Lions projects range from community-service work to helping disaster victims.
The Lions’ $143.5 million SightFirst program works to rid the world of preventable and reversible blindness by supporting desperately needed health-care services. Lions also collect and recycle eyeglasses for distribution to the poor in the United States and developing countries, especially during May -- Lions Recycle for Sight Month --and October’s Lions World Sight Day.
More than 770 SightFirst grants have provided more than 5 million cataract surgeries; 70 million treatments for river blindness; built 200 eye hospitals, clinics, and wards; and upgraded equipment in more than 310 eye-care centers.
The Lions provide 600,000 free professional glaucoma screenings and make possible 20,000 corneal transplants annually.
The service organization has established and supports a majority of the world’s eye banks, and annually collects more than 30 million pairs of used eyeglasses, sending approximately 6 million pairs to recycling centers for free distribution to developing countries. The club also provides Braille-writers, large-print texts, white canes, and guide dogs for thousands of people each year. Lions annually donate about $449 million and 76 million hours ¾ equivalent to more than 31,000 people working full time for a year.