The Leadership group at David Thompson Secondary School has stepped up to help the Lake Windermere Lions Club with the Lions Recycle for Sight program this year.

Blake Beggs and Elizabeth Arif are members of the leadership group are are leading the project at DTSS.

“We are collecting used sunglasses or eyeglasses from around the valley and we will then give them to the Lions Club. They will then get the glasses to people in third world countries,” Beggs said.

The project is described on the Lions International website as “Changing Lives, One Pair at a Time.”

Throughout the year, Lions, Leos and other volunteers collect used eyeglasses and deliver them to regional Lions eyeglass recycling centres. Then volunteers clean, sort by prescription strength and package the glasses.  Most of the recycled glasses are distributed to people in need in developing countries where they will have the greatest impact.

The students decided this was a project they wanted to be a part of after talking to some local Lions Club members.

“The Lions Club introduced the project to us and we thought it was a really good way to help internationally as well as locally through working as a team with the Lions,” Arif said.

The group has helped in getting boxes in 15 local stores and are hoping that people will donate right through until the project ends on April 4. They are also collecting at DTSS and are coming up with different way for other students to get involved.

“Some people have five different pairs of sunglass that they paid $5 for and they will never use them again. Rather than throwing them out they can donate them,” Beggs said.

“It is also good for the environment because you are not throwing plastic away and give them to people who can really use it,” Arif added.