Burbank Wire promoted the Burbank Noon Lions Club's (4-L1) effort to collect used eyeglasses for recycling and donation to Lions in Sight. Containing a link to the club, a Burbank resident happened upon the site and sent an email. Mrs. Obal and her son Stephen, 14 years old, were in search of a community service project for which Stephen could earn required volunteer service hours at his private school, St. Francis Xavier in Burbank. Reading online stories at the website www.burbank.com/marva_murphy.shtml regarding the dire need for children's glasses, Stephen believed he could collect children's glasses at his school and help. As a young student wearing glasses himself, he knew firsthand of the importance of being able to see in school in order to learn.

The Burbank Noon club was contacted via the website and arrangements were made to provide Stephen with an Eyeglass Recycling collection box to place on the school/church grounds. At the same time, Stephen learned about Lions in Sight, he also read about the club's collection of used hearing aids for recycling as well. And so, his goal became the collection of children's glasses and hearing aids.

A few weeks later, with the support of the St. Francis Xavier school and church community, the Burbank Noon Lions club was overjoyed to receive more than a dozen hearing aids and close to 30 pairs of children's glasses, included with a bag full of adult glasses from Stephen. For club members who have been on clinic trips and know the frustration and difficulty of not being able to provide glasses for a child in need, receiving Stephen's donation was like winning the lottery. Stephen earned his volunteer service hours, but more importantly knows that because of him, eventually close to 30 children will be able to see clearly with the glasses he helped recycle for Lions in Sight.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Burbank Noon Lions Lions - Marva Murphy 818-955-8018 mm@2m4pr.com
For locations outside of the Burbank area call 800-74 SIGHT (800-747-4448)

www.burbank.com/stephen.shtml