Woodinville Weekly staff writes:
The Woodinville Lions Club, in conjunction with the Sno-King Racing Pigeon Club, will hold another Flight for Sight Race to benefit local Lions sight and hearing programs, which provide eye care, glasses and hearing aids for those needing assistance. "All the money raised stays right in the Woodinville area to serve our community," said Herb Cartmell, the club’s president.
The race will be held Sept. 25 with the sponsored birds being released from Sutherlin, Ore., to fly back to their home lofts in the Seattle area.
"Each bird carries a small microchip band on its legs that will register the exact time the bird returns home," Cartmell continued. "A GPS reading is taken from the release site and applied against each participant’s loft for distance. Once you have the time on the wing, you can divide it into the distance to each loft to arrive at a yards per minute in speed. Of course, the fastest speed wins."
"On average, the birds can fly between 42 and 55 MPH in normal conditions. Sutherlin is 300 air miles from Woodinville," Cartmell explained.
The cost of sponsoring a bird is a $5 donation and the birds will be randomly matched with their sponsor on the night before shipping.
The sponsor with the winning bird will receive a $300 cash prize.
Last year the Woodinville Lions provided eye exams and glasses to nine individuals and a set of hearing aids.
The Woodinville Lions recently expanded their service area to include Duvall and Kenmore.
Anyone interested in sponsoring a bird in the Flight for Sight races, their sight and hearing programs, or in joining the Woodinville Lions Club is asked to contact Herb Cartmell at (425) 318-9477 or visit with Web site at http://www.woodinvillewa.lionwap.org.
