Glasses Collection in The Miner

To kick off the challenge to collect 2018 pairs of glasses, an article was published in the The Miner providing details of the Recycle for Sight project. The Guides have already collected about 300 pairs of glasses and acknowledge the support of the Ballarat community.

Article in The Miner

GIRL Guides in Ballarat have taken on a service challenge to collect 2018 pairs of used glasses between now and the end of the 2018 year.

Their efforts will assist local Lions Clubs with their ongoing ‘Recycle for Sight’ project to donate eyewear to those in need in third world countries.

The Guides have spent time decorating individual collection boxes and have distributed them to their schools, parents’ workplaces and local businesses. Support for the project has been fantastic.

Many households have items of eyewear that they have updated but not discarded.

The collection boxes provide a means of recycling the glasses to ensure they are put to good use. Spectacles, sunglasses and broken frames can all be recycled.

Girl Guides from as young as 5 years old are encouraged to regularly help others. This challenge perfectly complements the Guiding program and provides an opportunity to help the broader community.

Guides of all ages can make a real difference to thousands of people who will benefit from receiving glasses to improve eyesight.

Kaitlyn, one of the older Guides, is helping to manage the project as a component of the Queens Guide Award.

Her role is to collate the donated glasses, maintain collection details and keep track of the tally displayed on the website. She will lead a team of Guides to assist in the sorting and packaging of the glasses, supervised by Barry Davis from the Lions Club.

The Guides have no idea if collecting 2018 pairs of glasses is actually an achievable goal but they are looking forward to seeing how close they can get. It’s more about making a concerted effort to contribute and raise awareness of the Recycle for Sight program.

Some of the younger Girl Guides have recently been working on the syllabus for the Eye Badge. They have learnt about the functions of each part of the eye, the importance of regular vision testing, optical illusions, eye identification games, eye-related craft items, learnt about braille and completed activities in the dark.

Local businesses and organisations are invited to host a collection box to help with the project.