The Center’s mission is to help individuals with vision and/or hearing loss live independently.

During the late 1940’s there were several fires in Rockford where a blind person was involved. A few Rockford Lions and their wives decided to try to identify the blind in our community and they began holding a monthly dinner at the Salvation Army Citadel. This led to the formation of the Winnebago County Association of the Blind (WCAB). They approached the Lions in 1953 to help them build their own center. The Lions pledged to match whatever funds they raised and began raising funds by selling roses. Local Lions clubs have been selling roses every year since then and the Center is often referred to as the house that roses built.

The first Center at 625 Adams Street Just South of Rural Street, opened in the fall of 1962 through the collaborative efforts of the Winnebago County Association of the Blind and the Rockford Lions Club.  The Center became a District 1-D Lions project in 1969. District 1-D Lions represent over 60 Lions, Lioness and Leo clubs in the ten northwestern counties of Illinois. Lions support encouraged the Center to reach out to communities throughout Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. It was home for 41 years until we moved to our present location.

Today we are located at 8038 MacIntosh Lane, one third of a mile North of East State Street on the east side of Lyford Road. We now serves over 20 counties from the Milwaukee/Chicago suburbs to the Mississippi River and 11 states through a collaborative federal grant with PEP Net Midwest.