Have Old Eyeglasses? Look For ‘Lions In Sight’ Saturday

Households in Windward Oahu should start searching now for their discarded pairs of old eyeglasses, sitting forgotten in a drawer or box, and bring them to the “Lions in Sight” recycling drive Saturday at area stores.

The Kahaluu Lions Club will man a booth by Longs Drugs at Kaneohe Bay Shopping Center that day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Koolaupoko-Manawalea and Pali clubs will be at the Kailua Longs Drugs, and the Kaneohe club will have a collection booth at the Windward City Longs.

Each year Lions clubs statewide collect the donated glasses, wash and clean them, pack them in boxes and ship them to countries where eye care is very hard to come by. Hawaii clubs received more than 10,000 pairs last year and sent them to the Philippines, Afghanistan and to the Lions recycling center in Vallejo, Calif., which in turn takes them on eye-care missions to Mexico.

“Used glasses cannot be distributed in the U.S.,” explained state chairwoman Alice Kudo, “but we do help thousands in underdeveloped countries. Many are children who benefit from our projects, which enables them to continue their quest for higher education, and the rest are adults who are able to find better jobs to support their families.”

Speaking for the four Windward clubs, Chris Kalopodes Jr. said that the Lions organization “trains and pays the doctors and sets up the free worldwide clinics at little or no expense to the patients.”

All Walmarts on Oahu are involved in the drive, as well as many other Longs Drugs. For more information, email Kudo at pback@hawaiiantel.net.