"There are so many simple but meaningful ways to help out in this world.
"For instance, I started bugging my friends for their eyeglasses. No, it's okay, I have some of my own, but I want their old ones. I want them to sort through their drawers for glasses they no longer need. Why? Lions Clubs and other organizations all over the U.S. collect these no longer wanted spectacles, clean them, repair them, and classify them by prescription, then deliver them to people in developing countries who so desperately need glasses but can't afford them.
"Go online to find details of a group you could support. I contacted United For Sight, who send donated glasses to Somalia, Uganda, Congo, Cameroon, Tanzania, Kenya, Guinea, Ghana, Benin, India, and Thailand. They suggest you can begin the eyeglass drive by obtaining plastic bins and labeling them with posters. Place the bins in several prime locations, including offices, libraries, eye doctor offices, and hospitals. It's also a great school or scout group project.
"If you need to wear glasses for reading, driving, or even so that your loved ones' faces are no longer a blur, you'll know how miserable life would be without them. Recycling eyeglasses you no longer need is a great — and absolutely painlessly simple — thing to do."
