Royer-Greaves School for Blind Hosts Local Lions Club’s Eyeglasses Donation Event

Paoli, PA….A Paoli School serving students and adults with visual impairments will help the local Lions Club improve the sight of others.

Paoli Berywn Malvern Lions Club members have been collecting donations of used eye glasses from the community all year, as they have for many years. On Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m., members will meet at Royer-Greaves School for Blind and the hundreds of glasses collected so far this year will be sorted, counted and boxed. They will then be sent to a recycling center to be prepared for shipment to third world countries to provide help for those with vision impairments, improving their quality of life, said David L. Smith, a PBM Lions Club member who also sits on the Royer-Greaves School for Blind Board of Directors.

“Just by donating glasses that you or someone in your family isn’t using any more, you can change someone else’s life,” said Smith. Most eyeglasses collected locally go to people in Mexico and Central America, Smith said, noting that it is currently illegal to distribute recycled eye glasses within the United States.

Improving the lives and fostering the independence of people with visual impairments are central to the missions of both Royer-Greaves School for Blind and the PBM Lions Club. The annual Eyeglass Recycling Project is but one of many ways the two organizations have worked together and supported each other for many years.

“PBM Lions has done so much for Royer-Greaves, donating both money and time to help the children and adults we serve,” said Royer-Greaves Executive Director Vicky Mayer. “We are delighted to assist them in this important project that improves the lives of so many.”

Anyone who has used eyeglasses they would like to donate can drop them off at Royer-Greaves, 118 South Valley Road, Paoli, PA, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, through Sept. 13. Bring them to the main office in the Manor House – the gray stone mansion. Glasses can also be dropped off throughout the year at Lion’s collections boxes around the area, or package them and mail to Lions Club International Headquarters, Attn: Receiving Department, 300 W. 22nd Street, Oak Brook, IL 60523.

Royer-Greaves School for Blind provides a caring and supportive place for children and adults with visual and other impairments to live, learn, and train for their most rewarding and independent lives. At Royer-Greaves, they receive education and training tailored to each of their individual capabilities and life needs, learning and in some cases living in a community that understands and values them and their families.

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