300 pairs of glasses is the anticipated goal for glasses to be collected on the UW-La Crosse campus for the Glasses Campaign.  The purpose of this campaign is to collect used glasses from people who no longer have a need for them.  In turn, these glasses will be donated to individuals in developing countries who cannot afford glasses.
“Each pair of donated eyeglasses equals corrected sight for one person.  This is all made possible through the Lions Clubs International,” Cody Fortney, a student at UW-L, explained.
The Lions Club was first established in 1917 by a man named Melvin Jones.  In 1925, Helen Keller, an advocate for people with disabilities, challenged the Lions Club to “become ‘knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.’”  Since then, the Lions Club has continued to aid individuals who struggle with vision.  The Lions Club not only aids those with visual needs, but also address and continue to try and improve issues within the community.
“Eyeglasses are so important,” Fortney stated, “because lack of corrected vision prevents people from reading, writing, learning and even working efficiently.”
The occurrence of this campaign was formed thanks to Fortney’s CST course, which required their class to come up with a campaign.
“One of my classmates and I are members of the UW-L Lions Club, so we knew about the need for eyeglasses worldwide.  We thought this campaign was a perfect opportunity to use our connections to help a lot of people worldwide,” Fortney said.
Fortney expressed how those who participate in the Glasses Campaign and donate their glasses could greatly impact the lives of individuals who need glasses but cannot afford them.
The collection of glasses on the UW-L campus will continue to go on until Dec 5.  Boxes for the Glasses Campaign have been placed in various places on the UW-L campus.  They include: the front desks of the residence halls on UW-L, the offices of the College of Science and Health, the College of Liberal Studies, the School of Education, the College of Business Administration, the Mathematics Department and Communication studies department, Murphy Library and the Career Services Office.
After the donated glasses are collected from the UW-L campus, the glasses will be given to the Wisconsin Lions Foundation Eyeglass Recycling Center, where they will then be “sorted, repaired, and organized by prescription.”
Anyone who wishes to donate glasses after Dec. 5 can still do so by either contacting Fortney or visiting the Lion’s Clubs website.
For more information about the Glasses Campaign, or to make a donation, you contact Fortney at
[email protected].
For more information about the Lions Club or to make a donation, visit their site at: www.lionsclubs.org/EN/about-lions/mission-and-history/index.php