Our Story
The Lions Eye Bank of Nebraska was founded in 1957 at the Nebraska Lions State Convention, where the Bellevue Nebraska Lions Club proposed the establishment of an Eye Tissue Bank. With unanimous support from the Lions of Nebraska, the initiative began to increase the number of eye tissue donors through donation cards and organized donor drives. By 1960, the Eye Bank was officially established at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. As the organization grew, the Lions committed to funding a dedicated space on campus, which became known as The Nebraska Lions Vincent C. Hascall Memorial Eye Bank in 1961.
In 1969, the Lions of Nebraska took on the challenge of raising $250,000 to construct a facility that would support patient care, student instruction, research, and house the Eye Bank. Fundraising efforts across the state culminated in the groundbreaking of the new facility on February 16, 1974, with the building officially opened on May 10, 1975.