Lions Clubs to Collect Glasses and Hearing Aids
During the 7th Annual Lions in Sight and Lions Recycle For Sight campaigns, Lions clubs across the state and worldwide will collect eyeglass and hearing aids.
On Maui, the drop-off is on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Lahaina Cannery Mall (1221 Honoapi‘ilani Highway) in front of Longs.
Hearing aids will be collected, cleaned and tested for local distribution.
The glasses will be cleaned, categorized by prescription and prepared for distribution by Lions, Leos and other groups. They will then be distributed to those in need in developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible. In most developing countries, an eye exam can cost as much as one month’s wages, and a single eye doctor may serve hundreds of thousands of people.
Hawai‘i Lions collect eyeglasses year round. On Saturday, the Lions will be out in force receiving unwanted eyewear at Walmart and other locations throughout the state.
Donors may also place glasses and aids in specially marked Lions Recycle For Sight collection boxes which are listed online.
A list of collection box locations can be downloaded from the Hawai‘i Lions website.
According to the World Health Organization, the eyesight of approximately one-fourth of the world’s
population can be improved through the use of a corrective lens.
Recently, 5000 pairs of eyeglasses were distributed throughout the mountainous terrain of war-torn Afghanistan by Hawai‘i Lions Club members.
Lions are known for their commitment to being “Knights of the Blind in the Crusade against Darkness,” a challenging statement made by Helen Keller in 1925.