June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968
“Be of good cheer.
Do not think of today's failures,
but of the success that may come tomorrow.
You have set yourselves a difficult task,
but you will succeed if you persevere;
and you will find joy in overcoming obstacles.
Remember, no effort that we make
to attain something beautiful is ever lost.”
― Helen Keller
STOCKTON San Joaquin Lions Club’s Helen Keller Mural Project!
ON TOUR IN SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY – COMING SOON…
It highlights local artist Diana Buettner (see below) and the disabled community of San Joaquin County, and is in collaboration with:
• San Joaquin County Chapter National Federation of the Blind
• Stockton Unified School District’s Walton Special Center
Our mobile mural will be traveling soon as a featured piece in art displays and educational outreaches. In June 2025, it will be permanently placed, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Helen Keller asking Lions Clubs International to become the “Knights of the Blind”.
PHOTOS OF KIDS PUTTING THEIR HAND-PRINTS ON THE MURAL
Artist Diana M. Buettner
Born: September 25, 1959
“I am a retired teacher who used art to assist my students with difficulties in their ability to read and write. I became visually impaired as a result of a brain surgery in 2013. I have right hemisphere blind spots in both eyes as a result. I am also hard of hearing due to a genetic defect. The brain surgery ended my career in 2014.
“My art is my meditative process in which I focus on the good things in my life. Art is my passion. My goal in creating art is to bring joy, both for myself and to those who see it. My paintings are a result of my love for the aloha spirit and the people who brought me to understand the power of passion, unity, and the true beauty of art in all of its amazing forms.
“This painting of Helen Keller is, for me, a huge honor to have been asked to do. It is not perfect, but then neither am I. To be clear, being disabled isn’t always easy. I am also a kidney transplant recipient. To this day, I continue to be in awe of just how amazing life can be when I focus on gratitude for what I have rather than what I don’t have. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.”
— Diana Buettner
For more information and photos, please visit our Helen Keller Mural Project Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.454072320607858&type=3
and email: SanJoaquinLions@gmail.com
Here’s the link to the Lions International page about Helen Keller: https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/resources-for-members/resource-center/helen-keller