Millions of Ohio motorists were blindsided by a June 9 raid on

$2.7 million they had voluntarily paid to thwart blindness in children and help solve the critical shortage of organ donations.

When The Dispatch opened Gov. Ted Strickland's eyes yesterday to his administration's grab of $1.4 million intended for the Save Our Sight Fund, he promised that the money would be returned.

"We will certainly correct that," Strickland said. "That is not something I was aware of. I will find out why that has occurred, and it will be corrected."

Keith Dailey, Strickland's spokesman, later said the governor also will move to return $1.3 million to the Second Chance Trust Fund, which promotes organ and tissue donations.

The sight and organ funds, both administered by the Ohio Department of Health, were among about 70 so-called "rotary funds" raided by the Strickland administration for a total of $120 million to help close a $1.9 billion shortfall in the two-year budget that ended June 30. Rotary funds are those supported by fees or donations.

The General Assembly passed a bill last year allowing the administration to transfer money from the rotary funds to the state's general operating fund.

Dailey said he thought the sight and organ funds are among only three rotary funds that receive voluntary contributions. The other is a $1 state income-tax check-off that provides about $100,000 annually for the operating accounts of the Ohio Republican and Democratic parties. No money was taken from the political parties' funds.

The Save Our Sight fund relies on the generosity of Ohio motorists who are asked if they would like to contribute $1 to the fund when applying for or renewing license plates. Likewise, when motorists apply for or renew their driver's licenses, they are given an opportunity to donate $1 to the Second Chance Trust Fund.

"Hot diggity!" exclaimed Sherill K. Williams, president of Prevent Blindness Ohio, when told yesterday of Strickland's pledge to return the $1.4 million to Save Our Sight.

"It's the right thing to do," she said. "The public expects state government to keep its promises, and this was an unfortunate situation. We're delighted the governor is going to correct it. The real winners are the children."

Williams said about

19 percent of motorists applying for or renewing license plates check the $1 donation to Save Our Sight, generating about $1.3 million a year for the fund. The money is used to prevent eye injuries and blindness among children. In the nine years since the program's inception, an estimated 129,195 children have benefited from protective eyewear and other equipment, preventing 2,500 eye injuries.

Before receiving word of Strickland's pledge, Williams said she was writing a letter to the governor asking for a return of the money. She said her organization purposely had avoided going public because it did not want to deter motorists from continuing to contribute to Save Our Sight.

As he left the license bureau on State Street in Westerville yesterday, Shawn Brown, 37, said he was disappointed to learn check-off money had been diverted, even though he opted not to donate a dollar.

"Now I'm glad I said no," Brown said. "There are a lot of generous people, and they shouldn't be fooled."

Shawn Miller, 39, of Delaware, renewed his license tag at the Westerville bureau yesterday and, unlike past years, did not donate to the sight fund.

"Everybody's hurting in this economic crisis," Miller said, "but it's wrong of the state to tap the children's sight fund to support its own purposes."

When Ohioans apply for or renew their licenses to drive, they are given two organ-donation check-off options. Under one, they agree to donate organs upon death; under the other, they agree to donate $1 to promote organ donations.

In Ohio alone, nearly 3,000 people are waiting for a transplant at any given time.

jhallett@dispatch.com