“Imagine if you could help a child read. An adult succeed in his job. A senior maintain her independence. And provide a community with more opportunities to grow and thrive.”
That’s the pitch behind the Lion’s Club* of Alaska’s Recycle for Sight program: volunteers collect, clean, sort, and package used eyeglasses, which are then passed along to people in need in local communities and developing countries.
When John Gentry (Health & Safety Superintendent, Fort Knox), heard about Recycle for Sight, he wanted to get Fort Knox involved.
“It’s the right thing to do,” said John. “A person’s eyesight is critical to quality of life, and at Fort Knox, we take eye protection very seriously. Our employees jumped at the opportunity to donate used prescription glasses – so far we’ve donated 126 pairs. Their overwhelming response is just one of the many reasons I am proud to be a member of this team.”
In 2004, the Lion’s Club of Alaska opened a fully operational eyeglass recycling center, where they process approximately 40,000 pairs of eyeglasses every year. The club will soon be creating a fully equipped eye doctor’s office where in-need members of the community can receive eye exams, and either a pair of recycled eyeglasses, or a voucher for a new pair.
The Recycle for Sight program is international, and anyone can contribute. Click here to learn more: http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/our-work/sight-programs/eyeglass-recycling/how-you-can-help.php
John Gentry (Health & Safety Superintendent, Fort Knox)
*With 46,000 clubs and 1.35 million members, the Lion’s are the world’s largest service club organization.
