The Lions Club wants your old eyeglasses!
Forty years ago, while working at a downtown bank, Randy Keithley was advised to join a service club. He picked the Lions Club and has been involved with that organization ever since.
“It’s one of the largest service clubs in the world with over 2 million members and it’s growing fast in foreign countries as well,” said Keithley, who lives in Butler Township. “Some people may not know that we now have women members.”
The Club is best-known for the boxes you’ll see around town that can be filled with your eyeglass donations.
“Sight is a God-given right,” said Keithley, secretary/treasurer of the Downtown Dayton Lions Club. “Contributing to people who are sight-challenged is one of the pillars of our organization. It’s my way of giving back.”
How the project began
In 1925, Helen Keller addressed the group’s national convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, challenging members to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.”
Since that time, Lions have worked to eradicate blindness and prevent vision loss through a wide range of programs. The eyeglass project has given millions of glasses to those who can use them most.
“Your pair of glasses can make a big difference in someone’s life,” Keithley says. “The donated eyeglasses are cleaned, sorted by strength, packaged and distributed to those in need, mostly in developing countries, but also in America. And, we are still playing catch-up. Since the pandemic our donations have really slowed down. They are finally coming back.”
According to Keithley, the donated glasses from our area are taken to the Ohio State University School of Optometry, where students determine the correct prescription of each pair. “We deliver between 5,000 to 10,000 glasses to Columbus each year,” he says.
Chances are you have an old pair of glasses sitting in a dresser drawer or glove compartment that you’re no longer using. Donate them!
What they want
■ Prescription glasses
■ Readers
■ Children’s glasses (especially in demand)
■ Sunglasses, both prescription and non-prescription. People living near the equator or in heavy sunlight are more likely to get cataracts.
■ Eyeglass cases
When in doubt about whether your glasses can be recycled, said Keithley, donate them.
Look for drop-off boxes at:
■ Your optometrist’s office and libraries, schools, community centers or places of worship.
■ LensCrafter Stores accept eyeglasses for their own recycle plan
■ Corporate-owned Pearle Vision Centers and many of their franchise operations
■ The lobby of the Masonic Temple across from the Dayton Art Institute
■ Vandalia Recreation Center.
■ Franco’s Ristorante in the Oregon District
■ Downtown Dayton Optical, 112 E. Third St.
■ Dr. William R. Martin Optical, 1222 S. Patterson Blvd., Room 212 (in the green glass medical building at the corner of Stewart and Patterson.)
■ Vandalia Optometry, 33 Elva Court, Vandalia
■ Lions Eye Bank West Central Ohio, 3309 Office Park Dr.
■ And many Walmart stores
Want to donate by mail?
Send glasses to:
Lions Clubs International Headquarters
Attention: Receiving Department
300 W. 22nd St.
Oak Brook, IL 60523 If your company or organization would like to have a donation box for collecting glasses or if you have questions, call Randy Keithley at 937-974-8786.
Make a difference
Meredith Moss writes about Dayton-area nonprofit organizations and their specific needs. If your group has a wish list it would like to share with our readers, contact Meredith: meredith. moss@coxinc.com.
Please include a daytime phone number and a photo that reflects your group’s mission.