MEDIA RELEASE

Lions clubs WORLDWIDE will be performing community service projects as part of the “Lions In Sight” initiative Saturday, January 28, 2012 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to raise public awareness of the vital role Lions clubs play in their communities.

As spring cleaning gets under way, the Hawaii Lions are asking people to look through dresser drawers & closets for used eyeglasses & hearing aids and donate them to the Lions Recycle For Sight program.

The glasses will be distributed to those in need within developing countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible. Most recently, 5000 pairs of eyeglasses were distributed to villagers throughout the mountainous terrain of war-torn Afghanistan by Hawaii Lions Club members. In most developing countries, an eye exam can cost as much as one month’s wages, and a single eye doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.

The glasses will be cleaned, categorized by prescription and prepared for distribution by Lions, Leos and other groups. 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.

Hawaii Lions collect eyeglasses year round and on this day, the Lions members will be out in force receiving your unwanted eyewear at Walmart locations throughout the state.

You may also place them in specially marked Lions Recycle For Sight collection boxes. Locations are also posted on the website, visit HAWAIILIONS.ORG and click on “Used Eyeglasses”

This year, in addition to the eyeglasses, hearing aids will be also collected, cleaned and tested for local distribution.

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. Eyeglass collection is a year round program.

KAUAI ONLY for further info, contact Paul Steinfort (808) 346-7980 or email pasteinfort@gmail.com
OTHER ISLANDS, call Alice Kudo 456-7278 or email pback@hawaiiantel.net