Eyeglasses and hearing aids can be donated at the Johnson County Courthouse and West Annex now through the end of the year. Frechette Eye Center accepts eyeglasses donations all year round. Photo by Jayden Kennett | Daily Journal
It’s giving season and the Franklin Lions Club and Frechette Eye Center are asking community members to give the gift of sight and sound to those who can’t afford it.
Every year, club members set up an eyeglasses Christmas tree at the Johnson County Courthouse and the West Annex to encourage people to drop off their old eyeglasses and hearing aids. The eyeglasses tree is a local tradition that joins an international effort. Each pair of eyeglasses is collected, inspected, cleaned, and donated to other countries like Mexico.
The annual effort brings in hundreds of eyeglasses each year, said Teresa Pursifull, Franklin Lions Club member. Eyeglasses are collected year-round, but the Lions Club uses the gift-giving season to spearhead their efforts and bring more awareness to the cause. Having a tree on display helps remind community members about the collection efforts, she said. Reading glasses, sunglasses, bifocal glasses and more can be donated at the drop-off boxes.
“It could be 20 years old, they’re not picky,” Pursifull said. “If you don’t have anything, you need to see.”
The cost of eyeglasses can vary greatly. On average, prescription glasses can cost around $200 a pair, according to eyeglasses.com. Lions Club International delivers glasses and hearing aids to people across the world.
Pursifull was joined by club treasurer Beverly Thorpe, club president Paul Cote and club member Macie Martin.
Martin said she loves being able to help others through the donation of eyeglasses. She remembers a club member’s trip to Mexico when she saw a special older gentleman who was fitted for bifocal glasses. He was trying to walk down the stairs with newly fitted bifocals, which can be a challenge in itself, Martin said. Others were encouraging him to remove his glasses so he could safely descend the stairs, but he refused.
“It was the first time in his 80 years, since he was a child, that he could see clearly,” Martin said. “So when you realize ‘Okay, this seems like a small deal, but it’s statewide.”
Every pair of glasses donated makes a big difference, Martin said.
