JANESVILLE — Laura and Lisa Prentice have been seeing eye-to-eye on a 4-H leadership project since last winter.
The vision for the project came into focus over winter break while the daughter and mother were brainstorming about what to do for a project.
When Lisa came across a pair of old eyeglasses, “a light bulb went off,’’ said Laura, 14, an eight-year member of La Prairie 4-H Club that Lisa helps lead.
Laura was familiar with recycling projects because she had participated in one the year before. She knew recycling eyeglasses would help people but wouldn’t require a big budget or too much time.
As the two began researching eyeglasses recycling, they discovered the Janesville Noon Lions Club and its ongoing eyeglass collection and recycling program led by Dave Wagner.
The club recently delivered to the Camp Rosholt Recycling Center near Stevens Point more than 6,000 pairs of eyeglasses they had collected during the past year. The center will clean and prepare the glasses for distribution in developing countries, where eye care often is unaffordable and inaccessible, according to the club’s website.
When Laura, an eighth-grader at Edison Middle School, learned about the Lions program, she decided to move forward with an eyeglasses recycling project.
“This program helps others see better and also helps keep these much-needed eyeglasses from going to the landfill,’’ she wrote in her project brochure: “Change a Life: Donate Your Old Eyeglasses.”
Dave Warren of Dave’s Ace Hardware stores let her put collection containers in his Milton and Evansville stores. So did Mercy Hospital. Laura’s phone number and e-mail address are listed in her brochure to give others opportunities to donate.
She’s already collected 149 pairs of eyeglasses, surpassing her goal of 100 pairs by July 1.
“It’s a learning experience that got me outside of my comfort zone and to think outside the box while helping others and not just thinking about myself,’’ Laura said. “It’s making me more well-rounded and more diverse.’’
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