- Used Eyeglass/Hearing Aid Collection
- Procedure for Obtaining Free Eyeglasses through Fairfax County
- Eyeglass Recycling Center
- Glasses and Hearing Aids
- Local Activities
- State/National/International Activities
- Donations
- Eyeglass/Hearing Aid Collection Sites
Used Eyeglass/Hearing Aid Collection
If you have used eyeglasses you no longer need, please donate them to the Lions Club for recycling. Lions accept prescription and reading glasses, sunglasses and empty plastic and metal frames. Children's glasses are especially needed. The club maintains many eyeglass/hearing aid collection sites throughout the Springfield-Franconia area, including most libraries, vision centers and Walmart. By donating your used eyeglasses you can help those in need see clearly, possibly for the first time in their lives. Please donate your used glasses so others might see. Click HERE for a list of collection sites managed by the club.
Procedure for Obtaining Free Eyeglasses through Fairfax County
The Club Secretary receives a request for free eyeglasses through the District L Webpage. The request includes the person's name, telephone number, and an e-mail address.
The Secretary tells the requestor the following:
Fairfax County residents may apply for free eyeglasses through the County's health departments. The fastest and easiest way is to call the Fairfax County Health Department at (703) 569-1031 and request to speak with someone in Family Services who will set up an appointment and take the request from there.
The program is needs based. Family Services will determine who is eligible to receive eyeglasses, perform an eye examination, and give the requestor a prescription. The patient receives a letter of notification from the Springfield-Franconia Host Lions Club that she/he is eligible to receive eyeglasses at no cost. She/he will take the letter and the prescription to Lens Crafters across from Springfield Mall to receive the glasses.
Lens Crafters bills the Springfield-Franconia Host Lions Club for the glasses.
Eyeglass Recycling Center
Club members sort, wash, and package used eyeglasses at the Northern Viriginia Eyeglass Recycling Center in Arlington, VA several times each year in lieu of a regular dinner meeting. Lions clubs collect and distribute glasses throughout the world. Glasses are provided to those in need free of charge to the individual. A pair of glasses may make the difference between someone being able to work or not, or a child being able to read or see the blackboard in school. For some, it means seeing clearly for the first time in their life.
Glasses and Hearing Aids
The club provides new eyeglasses and new or re-conditioned hearing aids to those in need right here in Springfield-Franconia. Need is determined by Fairfax County agencies who pass the requests onto the club. The club then ensures that the identified parties receive the much needed glasses or hearing aids. Free sight and hearing screenings are provided by the Lions of Virginia Mobile Sight and Hearing Van.
Local Activities
Within the Springfield-Franconia area the club supports Echo and Koinonia with yearly monetary donations and toys at Christmas. The club has also partnered with Garfield Elementary School to provide much needed support to low-income students and families.
State//National/International Activities
Each year, members of the club support the Remote Area Medical (RAM) project to support residents in WISE County, VA. RAM was started in 2000 and has been conducted each summer since. RAM is a joint service project by the Lions of Virginia and the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps from Knoxville TN. Southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee suffer from chronic high unemployment, poverty, and a lack of adequate health insurance. Many people are forced to make difficult choices, such as either buying food or medication, paying for doctor visits or for utility bills. Volunteers at RAM support on-site medical, vision and dental evaluations and care. Many glasses from the Northern Virginia Eyeglass Recycling Center are passed out each year. These glasses greatly affect the ability of adults to work and support their families and for children to suceed at school.
Club members have also supported several International medical and humanitarian missions to Bolivia, El Salvador, and Vietnam. These missions typically consist of sight screenings, eye glass distribution and eye surgeries. Some missions include other medical and dental treatment. Blindness, low vision or other major eye related medical problems including glaucoma, cataracts and trachoma are rarely treated locally in these areas.
Donations
The club donates over $20,000 per year to various local, state, national and international charities including:
Local:
Garfield, Crestwood and Lynbrook Elementary Schools
American Legion Boys and Girls State
Hayfield High School Leo Club
Lions Club Service Award
State:
Special Needs Equipment
Lions of VA Mobile Sight and Hearing Van
Northern VA Eyeglass Recycle Center
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
VA Lions Hearing Aid Bank Foundation
Lions Bland Music Scholarship Foundation
National/International:
Canine Companions for Independence
Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF)
ALL funds received by the club, either from personal donations or from club fundraisers, are donated to charity.
Eyeglass/Hearing Aid Collection Sites
Springfield- Franconia Host Lions Eyeglass/Hearing Aid Collection Sites (Can call to see if any donations present)
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Richard Byrd Library |
Visionworks, Springfield Town Center |
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MyEyeDr. |
Visionworks |
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Clarkson Eyecare |
Kaiser Permanente Vision Services |
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Gene Sweetnam, Optometrist |
Eye 2 Eye Optometry Center, |
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The Vision Center (Wal-Mart) |
Optical Center, Base Exchange |
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John Marshall Library |
Kingstown Center for Active Adults |
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Kingstowne Library |
Kings Park Library |
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Grace Presbyterian Church |
Little River United Church of Christ |
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Eyetown |
First Baptist Church of Springfield |
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Target Optical website: targetoptical.com |
Greensprings Village CVS Pharmacy Store #48372 |
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LENSCRAFTERS |
Family Optometric Associates (FOA) Optometry |
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Franconia Rec Center |
Walmart Vision Center, |
