As winter cleaning gets under way, the Raglan Lions are asking people to look through dresser drawers and closets for used eyeglasses and donate them to the Lions Recycle For Sight program.
During the month of May the Raglan Lions 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 cleaned and prepared for distribution in developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible.
“We need everyone to donate their used eyeglasses,” said Bob MacLeod President of Raglan Lions “In 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.”
The donated glasses will be shipped to a regional Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center where they will be cleaned, categorized by prescription and prepared for distribution by Lions and other groups.
To donate used glasses (including sunglasses and reading glasses), drop them off at the Lions Opportunity Shop, as we will accept glasses year-round.
In 1925 Helen Keller, a woman who had been blind and deaf since childhood, challenged Lions to become “Knights of the Blind” in a crusade against darkness. Lions accepted Helen’s challenge and there are now a number of programmes that Lions are involved with worldwide, particularly in third world countries.
Type 2 Diabetes is common in the Islands and is the main cause of blindness. Lions Clubs in the Islands receive the glasses and distribute them to visiting volunteer Optometrists who test patients and fit them with the recycled glasses at no cost.
Sunglasses are also a useable item for the Islands particularly after cataract operations.
Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.3 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in more than 200 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.
The Raglan Lions Club has 13 members and over 25 Volunteers who manage and operate the Opportunity Shop. The members meet on the third Monday of the Month, Lions clubs are a group of men and women who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs. For more information or to get involved with the Raglan Lions Club, please contact Wendy (825 8008) or Bob (825 8041) http://www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/raglan
For more information about the Raglan Lions Club, visit the Web site at http://www.lionsclubs.org.nz/Clubs/202L/Zone-1/Raglan
Bob MacLeod President 2011/12