District Processing Center: Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center of Eastern Virginia 2040 Broadmoor Av Chesapeake, VA 23323
Processing Center Contact: LION CHESTER P. KRAMER, PDG Phone: 757-627-4583 E-mail: lioncpkramer@verizon.net
The Virginia Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center provides used eyeglasses to various missions sponsored by Lions and other groups.
Used eyeglasses have been shipped to Honduras, Guyana, Peru, Ukraine, Guatemala, Brazil, Thailand, Romania, Haiti, Brazil, Nicaragua, Malawi, Dominican Republic, St. Croix, Puerto Rico, Israel, the Republic of Congo, and Ecuador. The center has also sent glasses to the Republic of Sri Lanka and Mexico for use in their permanent distribution centers. In addition, the center partners with local organizations to conduct international health fairs and expeditions. The center received a donation of approximately 264,000 pairs of sunglasses (worth US$2 million) from Gifts-In-Kind International.
In the past, the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center of Northern Virginia coordinated the "Helping the World to See" program. The center worked with United Airlines, the Sterling Lions, and 45 public schools to collect eyeglasses for one month. The donated eyeglasses were cleaned, categorized by prescription, packaged, and shipped via United Airlines to Thailand. A doctor in Bangkok distributed the used eyeglasses to children and adults.
There is another satellite, the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center of Eastern Virginia.
