What a spectacle! Why these kids are recycling glasses for people who can't afford them
Ten thousand people will see more clearly, thanks to the Portugal Cove-St. Philip's Lions Club and an elementary school in Portugal Cove-St. Philip's.
Since 2012, the club has been collecting eyeglasses — some old, some new — to recycle for people who might not be otherwise able to afford them, said president Bradley Moss.
Some will go to Bishop's Falls Correctional Centre, and some will be taken to Haiti with Team Broken Earth, a Newfoundland-started charity that provides humanitarian relief in places around the world.
"We bring them in, the kids sort them, count them, ensure that they're in workable order, separate the broken frames and lenses out, because we do have a use for those," said Moss.
Gavin Sala, a student at Beachy Cove Elementary — and one of the school's "environmental agents" — has a foolproof method for checking the glasses.
"I close each eye first to see if one of the lenses is blurry, and if they aren't, then they're all good, but then I search for any cracks, just in case," said Gavin, inspecting a pair. "These glasses are pretty good, and still pretty stylish. Not that worn."
Sometimes the eyeglasses that need some work are easy to spot, said Kara March, who's in Grade 4.
"It's really fun how we get to sort out the good glasses from the bad," she said. "At one point I found a pair of glasses with tape on it, so I think that that wasn't very good."
That's where Grade 2's Josie Pretty comes in.
"All the broken ones go over here, and the good ones go over there, in a bag," she said.
For Grade 4 teacher Paula Courage, the program fits in well with school's focus on global citizenship.
"That's something we cover in our social studies curriculum quite a bit," she said.
"I think it's important that the children know that they are children but they have a voice and they have a purpose, and I personally believe empowering children is the best job that I can do."
That's a message the students, like Luke Pittman in Grade 4, are taking in.
"Being a global citizen is a great thing to do, and this project can really help people be introduced to what you can change in the world," he said. "There's few activities out there that can change people's lifestyles, and this is one of them, and I'm glad that it is."
A cheer went up from the students as Moss held up what he announced was the 10,000th pair to be recycled through the program, a milestone he said is tremendous.
Environmental stewardship
"It squares really well with the environmental stewardship and global citizenship that they're teaching here at Beachy Cove Elementary."
For Josie Pretty, the reward is simple.
"I think it's important so our world doesn't get full of old glasses, and other people can get new glasses and see better," she said. "That makes other people have smiles."
Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
