Manila Lions Club collects glasses

Most households have old prescription glasses or sunglasses that have been replaced with new ones. People wonder what to do with the unused glasses. The Manila Lions Club is collecting unused glasses to be recycled.

The Lions Clubs International and Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (SVOSH) are both organizations that work to provide eye care to underserved communities throughout the world.

A major mission of the Lions Club is improving vision and preventing blindness.

In an impactful speech by Helen Keller in 1925 at the Lions Clubs International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, the Lions have continued to support eyecare. Keller, an ambassador for the American Foundation for the Blind at that time, challenged the Lions to become “Knights of the Blind in the crusade against darkness.”

The full quote: “Will you not help me hasten the day when there shall be no preventable blindness, no little deaf, blind child untaught, no blind man or woman unaided? I appeal to you, Lions – you who have your sight, your hearing, you who are strong and brave and kind – will you not constitute yourselves Knights of the Blind in my crusade against darkness?”

The Manila Lions Club was organized on Jan. 7, 1929, and remains committed to serving their community in projects such as food baskets, eyecare and scholarships.

Manila Lions Club will send the donated glasses to the Southern College of Optometry. The college participates in recycling the glasses to help children and adults in rural areas in other countries that do not have access to eye care.

The Manila Lions Club reminds everyone not to throw away unwanted glasses because they can be recycled and can change lives.

The club has several eyeglass collection boxes in Manila and Leachville. Locations include Southern Bancorp, Wells Family Eye Care, Wagner Clinic, Manila and Leachville libraries, Misco Insurance and Delta Drug.

In addition to glasses, they also collect hearing aids which can be recycled also

For more information or questions feel free to reach out to any Manila Lion member. The Manila Lions meet on Wednesdays at noon. New members are welcomed.