Eyes and Ears

In 1925, Helen Keller challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” The Osage Lions Club has accepted that challenge. Today, sight programs remain one of our defining causes both locally and word-wide.

We accept used eyeglasses, recycling them through Lions national eyeglass recycling centers. We support Lions Eye Banks that provide eye tissue for sight-saving surgeries. Lions screen the vision of hundreds of thousands of people every year. The Osage Lions specifically focus on area youth and we have a team that helps screen our area preschool students annually to identify those at risk of losing their vision.

EYEGLASSES

The recycling of eyeglasses are an important part of the Osage Lions Club service. Eyeglasses are collected from drop off points throughout Osage, taken to the Iowa Lions office in Ames where they are, cleaned, sorted by prescription, and then they are redistributed, free of charge, to people in need. All types of eyeglasses and sunglasses, prescription and non-prescription, are acceptable.

HEARING AIDS

Have you had a loved one who just passed away, who had hearing aids? Got a new cochlear implant? Just upgraded to digital from analog? Bought a hearing aid awhile ago but it did not work as well as you wanted and you’re stuck with it? Don’t throw out that old or unwanted hearing aid – it may still have some life in it yet, and be of use to someone who can’t afford a hearing aid! Your old hearing aid could make the difference in someone’s life. For an adult in need, a used hearing aid can mean the ability to get or hold a job; for a child, it can mean being able to learn better due to having access to sound at last. Hearing aides are collected and sent to the Iowa Lions Hearing Aid Bank in Jesup, Iowa to be redistributed to adults and children in Iowa and worldwide free of charge. Hearing aid donors can get a federal tax deduction for the value of their donated aid. Contact us.

LOCAL RECYCLING

Individuals may donate used eyeglasses or hearing aides year-round to the Osage Lions Club at our collection box's located at the Osage Public Library, Dr. Jim Janka's office or by contacting the Osage Lions Club for additional business locations.

Osage Lions Club – WE SERVE

The Osage Lions Club helps to assist students in the Osage School district referred to us by the school nurse or the Osage Clinic. The Osage Lions Club will help in paying for a budget pair of frames and glasses from the Osage Clinic in Osage. Families should demonstrate financial need to be involved in the program.

The procedure for obtaining assistance with hearing aids from the Osage Lions and the Iowa Lions Hearing Aid Bank is – go to your choice of hearing clinic and get (and pay) an exam. The Osage Lions will work through area audiologists by accepting referrals from them for customers in need. Audiologists seeing a customer in need will have the patient complete the Iowa Lions Hearing Aid Bank Home Visit Form and return to the Lions Club board. Applications will be reviewed by the board. For qualified candidates, the Osage Lions will pay 75% of the cost of making ear molds. The hearing aid itself would be free.