Have you ever thought about the Lions Club donation box for old glasses? Have you ever donated? It’s easy to think that no one wants your old pair of eyeglass frames but, like me, you may be surprised to learn just how much your old glasses are needed–and valued!
This email was sent on to me by a neighbor. I thought it was so insightful that I got in touch with Lois Evers to find out if I could share it with all of little Indiana. It’s an inside look at the Lions Club Glasses Donation operation and a good reminder that your donations are needed every time of year.
Lions Club Donation Glasses
Where Do Lions Club Donation Glasses Go
Dear Friends and Family,
Phill and I have just returned from a Lions Mexico Eyeglass Mission trip. We left on February 19th and returned tonight February 26th. It was an exciting time. I have never seen so many people in one place at once. Most of them were very needy and were so grateful that they received new eyeglasses….new to them at least.
Thanks to all of you who donate your old glasses to the Lions Clubs around you. We along with 35 other Lions from 25A, fit around 7,419 glasses to the people of Aguascalientes, Mexico.
This was a first time experience for Phill and I but, hopefully not the last. If we stay healthy we will plan to go again next year. One of the team was an Optometrist who is 85 years old, and his wife, but I don’t think he knows he is that old, (grin) as they work very hard, he and his wife are both long time Lions.
We made many new friends on this mission trip, many of these Lions have gone on 14 or more years in a row, one of them has gone on 28 trips. It is a lot of hard work and long hours for everyone. Our days started at 7:15 AM when we got on the bus, and we got back to the hotel at 8:00 or 8:30 PM.
On Sunday we only fit 960 people and we found out that 2 buses broke down and many were not able to come and keep their appointment. I am not sure how many were able to get back to the Clinic in the next 4 days.
Most all of them were so grateful and many said they would pray for us, one lady told me she would pray for us every day. Many of the Mexicans waited for 7 or 8 hours to be tested and fitted for their glasses, while some were turned away because there were not enough hours in a day. Some days they were lined around the block and there were as many as 750 people waiting on us when we arrived at the Clinic.
Each of us had an interpreter, thank God for that. We are going to try to learn some Spanish for next year, Not a lot mind you,just basic words and phrases. We all had college students who got credit for their working with us as interpreters. I had a young man who was just wonderful.
His heart was for the Mexican people he was very giving and kind. I worked with him all 5 days and one of them he stayed until 7:00 PM and he only had to be there until 2:00 PM. He didn’t have to stay that long but it was on a day when we had almost 2000 people. He did not go to class but stayed to help us.
I am asking for you to save your old glasses that you will not wear again. See to it that someone will benefit from your donation to your local Lions Club! Not every Lions Club goes on these mission trips nor saves the glasses.
Just remember that Helen Keller challenged the Lions Clubs to be Knights for the Blind.
Lois and Phill Evers
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