Donate glasses

Date: 12/19/2011

Did you ever wonder where the glasses go that you put in donation boxes for Lions’ Clubs?

Thanks to the generosity of people in the Greater Springfield area the 16 Acres Lions Club recently collected over 700 pairs of glasses, which were sent to third world countries, where there is little or no medical care. The glasses collected by the Lions are sent out to calibration centers, which categorizes the glass prescriptions. They are washed, prescriptions are read, packed in boxes, then given to a medical mission going to countries, where people are living in poverty.

Donated glasses provide freedom, independence and dignity to people who are barely able to function because of blurred vision. In African villages, people walk for miles through the jungle to get to a Lions’ distribution site. Children all over the world improve at school when they can see the blackboard and read their books with new glasses. The Lions hear of many instances where people are so grateful their sight has been restored, and they say “thank you so much” in their native language.

The 16 Acres Lions Club supports charities in the local area including an Emergency Sight and Hearing Fund, an Eye Mobile for screening individuals for sight and hearing, high blood pressure and diabetes. Five scholarships are given annually to high school graduates going into college. Funds are raised for disaster relief, and much more.

For further information about what the Lions Club does or if you would like to become a member, please call Bernice Drumheller at 596-5059, Ann Cocchi at 783-1775 or Sandy Miliefsky at 782-9120.

Sandy Miliefsky

16 Acres Lions Club