Author: Tobey

From LCI

Lions Clubs International is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Walmart to collect used eyeglasses from the public at specified Walmart and Sam’s Club stores throughout the United States.  This new program will enhance the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Program, enabling our association to collect increased quantities of usable glasses for humanitarian missions to developing nations.

• Commencing January-February 2010, co-branded collection boxes, bearing the LCI, Walmart and Sam’s Club logos, will be available in the 2,500 US Walmart stores and approximately 500 Sam’s Clubs, with vision centers.  These new boxes will replace Lions collection boxes currently in place at the specified stores. For Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs without in-store vision centers, existing Lions collections will continue at the discretion of the store managers.
• Walmart will ship the collected eyeglasses to their distribution centers, where they will then be delivered to the nearest Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers for sorting, cleaning and processing.
• Usable glasses will be available for Lions and other optical missions to developing nations, where the glasses will be dispensed to children and adults free of charge.
• The Lions/Walmart co-branded program is aimed at members of the public. Walmart and Sam’s Club stores will not be able to accept or ship Lions club collections of eyeglasses from other locations in the community.

If you are involved in eyeglass collection, thank you for your continued support of this project. We encourage clubs to maintain their collection sites throughout the community and send the glasses to the nearest Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center.  These collections have had a direct impact on the strength and success of the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Program.

LCI can help to promote your community collections by posting drop-off locations on the association’s Web site at the Club Locator. Clubs can simply provide us with their information via the Lions Recycle For Sight Club Participation Form and we’ll post up to six collection sites. Or, send an e-mail to: eyeglasses@lionsclubs.org.

For further information about the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Program, or to start a collection campaign in your club or district, please contact the Health and Children’s Services Department.

In service,

Marilee Kadar, Manager

Health and Children’s Services Department
Lions Clubs International
e-mail:  eyeglasses@lionsclubs.org
Web: www.lionsclubs.org