thedrifter
09-08-08, 07:19 AM
September 8, 2008
Eyeglasses sent to Iraq
BY JENNIFER SALE
JenniferSale@coloradoan.com
The Fort Collins and Sterling Lions Clubs have teamed up with the local Rotary club to help improve the vision of Iraqi civilians.
In May, Betty Brown got the idea to send prescription eyeglasses to Iraq from her son, a doctor for a battalion of Marines stationed in Rawah in western Iraq.
Brown said her son told her he hadn't seen anyone wearing glasses and that many civilian deaths occur when people can't read signs because of poor eyesight.
Knowing that the Lions Club is always collecting glasses for donation, Brown, a member of the Fort Collins Rotary Club, made some contacts and spread the word. In less than three weeks, 720 pairs of eyeglasses were en route to Iraq.
"I was thrilled," said Brown. "I know so many people who feel so frustrated. They don't know what they can do. Well, this is something we can do."
The Lions Club, founded on the mission to aid the visually impaired and blind, collects glasses from 28 drop-off points in Fort Collins. The glasses are sent to the prison in Sterling, where inmates sort and label them by prescription. Once they've been packaged, the glasses are sent all over the globe.
The Lions also provide needy people in the Fort Collins area with free eye exams and new glasses each month.
"We do this 365 days a year," said Reid Jacob, a 28-year member of the Lions Club who has been working with Brown.
Jacob said he and Brown hope to get another 700 or so pairs of glasses to Rawah soon.
Brown has been collecting glasses not just for her own project but to help the Lions in their overall mission. "We're attempting to support their efforts while they support ours," she said.
Brown said she's happy to be making a global difference. "It gives a sense of accomplishment in what is otherwise a baffling situation," she said.
Ellie
Eyeglasses sent to Iraq
BY JENNIFER SALE
JenniferSale@coloradoan.com
The Fort Collins and Sterling Lions Clubs have teamed up with the local Rotary club to help improve the vision of Iraqi civilians.
In May, Betty Brown got the idea to send prescription eyeglasses to Iraq from her son, a doctor for a battalion of Marines stationed in Rawah in western Iraq.
Brown said her son told her he hadn't seen anyone wearing glasses and that many civilian deaths occur when people can't read signs because of poor eyesight.
Knowing that the Lions Club is always collecting glasses for donation, Brown, a member of the Fort Collins Rotary Club, made some contacts and spread the word. In less than three weeks, 720 pairs of eyeglasses were en route to Iraq.
"I was thrilled," said Brown. "I know so many people who feel so frustrated. They don't know what they can do. Well, this is something we can do."
The Lions Club, founded on the mission to aid the visually impaired and blind, collects glasses from 28 drop-off points in Fort Collins. The glasses are sent to the prison in Sterling, where inmates sort and label them by prescription. Once they've been packaged, the glasses are sent all over the globe.
The Lions also provide needy people in the Fort Collins area with free eye exams and new glasses each month.
"We do this 365 days a year," said Reid Jacob, a 28-year member of the Lions Club who has been working with Brown.
Jacob said he and Brown hope to get another 700 or so pairs of glasses to Rawah soon.
Brown has been collecting glasses not just for her own project but to help the Lions in their overall mission. "We're attempting to support their efforts while they support ours," she said.
Brown said she's happy to be making a global difference. "It gives a sense of accomplishment in what is otherwise a baffling situation," she said.
Ellie