Vicksburg school, Lions Club give beloved maintenance woman gift of sight
VICKSBURG -- In 2012, Donna Hall lost most of her sight, and with it, some of her independence.
Hall found out Tuesday that would soon be changing, thanks to the generosity of the local Lions Club and the National Honor Society at St. Aloysius High School, where she has served as maintenance staff for 30 years. The organizations raised $900 to buy Hall a pair of specialty reading glasses.
During a surprise assembly and presentation Tuesday morning, Hall told an audience she had always been a great talker, but that the gesture had left her speechless.
"I've been here 30 years, and I've seen them come and go, and we've got grandkids running around here at St. Francis," she said. "Words cannot express how I feel."
When asked the first thing she planned to do what her newfound vision, Hall simply replied she was excited to read her Bible.
"I would be able to read," she said. "Even though I have the cassettes, there's nothing like picking up that book."
Through it all, Hall said she never lost faith.
"The bishop came in, and he prayed over my eyes, and I never lose faith and hope, I just give it to God and leave it," she said. "When I left that classroom, something just came over me. I was freed."
St. Aloysius principal Buddy Strickland said later that day the news came that fundraising for her new glasses was complete.
St. Aloysius National Honor Society president Rett Verhine said his organization teamed up with the Lions Club over the past year to raise the money for the specialty glasses.
"We had different fundraisers and donations throughout the year in addition to the money we have that we can spend each year," he said. "She's just been here so long, 30 years, and she's done so much for our school that we wanted to be able to give something back to her."
Hall said she fells especially blessed this Christmas season.
"They don't have a clue what they have done for me," she said. "This is a Merry Christmas!"
This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Vicksburg school, Lions Club give beloved maintenance woman gift of sight ."