Awwwww Thank you!
As a matter of fact, today I got my birthday wish!
Two months ago, I joined the Lions Clubs International. I've been intending to do that for some time, but never got the chance. For those who don't know about the Lions, they.... *we* are the groups who sponsor used eyeglass pick-up stations for people to drop off old, broken, used or unneeded glasses. All kinds! Sunglasses, bifocals, magnifying readers, etc.
The donated glasses are then sent to processing facilities (ours is in Midlands TX, I know of another in Diablo Valley CA) where they are cleaned, repaired, sorted by prescription, and then sent overseas to poor countries, like Guatemala, Honduras, countries in Africa, the Middle East and other places, where eye care physicians measure people and give them the glasses, so desperately needed! Some people have not had glasses EVER in their lives, and suddenly to receive the gift of sight is miraculous!
We also operate the Lions Eye Bank, where donated corneas are stored and then given to persons needing surgery to regain their sight.
Operation KidSight is a Lions Club program where preschool, kindergarten and first grade students are tested and given free or low cost eye care and prescription glasses (not recycled, but made for each child) to prevent blindness from early discovered and treated conditions.
Flags Project where flags are placed on veterans graves each Memorial Day, Flag Day and Fourth of July.
Today I got my best birthday present EVER... I established a collection point for glasses at an eyewear shop in a shopping center I go to frequently! She was delighted because no Lion has ever contacted her before! I was the first! So YAY!!
If any of you are interested, just Google your own town or city's name and "Lions Clubs" and find out more! Lions are AWESOME!! And what an opportunity to give back to the community!
BEST birthday EV-VAR!
Lion-Swan
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -- Arthur C. Clarke, "Profiles of The Future", 1961 (Clarke's third law)