by Dennis Dalman
Are you thinking about throwing away an old or unwanted pair of eyeglasses? Well, don’t. Instead, donate them to the Sartell and LeSauk Lions clubs.
Bring them to one of nine eyeglass-collection sites in Sartell. (For a list of local donation sites, see “Collection Sites” toward end of this story.)
Those recycled eyeglasses can then become precious possessions of people who desperately need them to see properly. The sad fact is for so many people in the world, a pair of eyeglasses is either unaffordable and/or inaccessible.
The following are some startling facts provided to the Newsleaders by Sartell Lions Club President Stu Giffen:
Globally, one child in four cannot see well enough to learn to read without eyeglasses.
- In developing countries, an eye exam costs as much as one month’s wages, and just one doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.
- By age 40, 90 percent of adults experience a decrease in their ability to read print and need eyeglasses.
- Many emerging countries lack the resources to manufacture quality lenses, and the cost of importing eyeglasses is far beyond the means of the average citizen.
- Millions of people fail to reach their economic, educational and social potential without access to quality eyeglasses.
- The World Health Organization estimates the eyesight of one-fourth of the world’s population can be improved through the use of corrective lenses.
- Throughout the years, Minnesota Lions members have collected more than 12 million pairs of eyeglasses. The Minnesota Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center at Pine Center collects more than 500,000 pairs of eyeglasses each year from collection sites throughout the state.
- The Wisconsin Lions Foundation has a Eyeglass Recycling Center that processes between 800,000 and 1 million pairs of used eyeglasses each year at its regional processing center in Rosholt, Wis.
- Thanks to the efforts of Sartell Lions Club member Denny Hartman, local eyeglass-collection sites have been greatly expanded recently to nine sites, making it more convenient for people to drop off their old or unwanted pairs of eyeglasses.
Collection Sites
People may drop off eyeglasses at any of the following sites:
St Francis Xavier Gathering Place (enter at either entrance)
219 Second St. N
Celebration Lutheran Church
1500 Pinecone Road N.
Country Manor Pharmacy
520 First St. NE
Sailer Chiropractic
234 Pinecone Road
CentraCare Optical
2000 23rd St. S
Coborn’s Pharmacy
1725 Pinecone Road N
Sartell Community Center
850 19th St. S
The Waters Church
1227 Pinecone Road N
Walgreen’s
1100 Second St. S
