News : Donate Glasses and Change a Life

Imagine if you could help a child read, an adult succeed in his/her job, or a senior maintain independence. In just about any home, one can find a pair of eyeglasses that are no longer being used. That same pair of eyeglasses can change another person’s life.

During the month of June at the Party in the Park events the Vinton Lion’s Club will be collecting used prescription eyeglasses and prescription and non-prescription sunglasses as part of a unique recycling program. The collected glasses will be shipped to a regional Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center where they will be cleaned, categorized by prescription, and prepared for distribution in developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible.

“We need everyone to donate their used eyeglasses,” said Mark Wilberg, chair of the club’s Sight and Hearing Committee. “In most developing countries, an eye exam can cost as much as one month’s wages and a single eye doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.”

In addition to eyeglasses, the Lions are happy to accept used hearing aids. They are also distributed to people in need, and you can put them in the same box as the eyeglasses.

To donate used glasses (including sunglasses and reading glasses) or hearing aids, place them in the specially marked Lions Recycle for Sight collection boxes located at Martin Eye Clinic, Farmers Savings Bank and Trust, US Bank, Cedar Valley Bank and Trust, La Grange Pharmacy, or the Pizza Ranch. More boxes will be placed in local businesses soon.

These boxes will also be placed outside the club’s concession trailer at summer events such as the Party in the Park and Boomtown Festivals, and members will be walking in the Party in the Park parade where you can donate glasses and/or hearing aids you no longer need.

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.3 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in 205 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit the Web at www.lionsclub.org.