Two NA students collect used glasses for Lions Club

Two sixth-graders from North Allegheny are helping others see their world in a better way, thanks to an eyeglass donation collection program through the Northern Allegheny Lions Club.

Srinika Dasari and her friend and classmate Aarya Shamkuwar, both of Franklin Park, have collected more than 1,463 used eyeglasses to date.

“I know how hard it is to see without glasses if you have a vision problem. This project helps people in need who can not afford glasses through the collection I am making, which makes this project important to me,” said Aarya.

Srinika said she learned a lot from the project, such as when you come across a challenge, don’t give up.

“Just because you can work with your problems doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try and fix them,” Srinika said.

Srinika began wearing glasses when she was 6. When she was 10, she got curious about what to do with her used eyeglasses. Srinika and her mother Iam Sowjanya Dasari researched and found Recycle for Sight, a project of the International Lions Club that has been collecting used eyeglasses for decades.

“During our research Srinika and myself came across Lions Club and read about their work in the vision space, and Srinika really loved the way Lions have been collecting the used eyeglasses and donating it to the less fortunate,” her mother said.

Srinika, then in fifth grade, met with Gary Roberson, president of the local Northern Allegheny Lions Club, to help get started. Her first Lions collection box was placed at Franklin Elementary School in October 2021.

With the support of North South Foundation’s Young Changemakers Journey, of which she is a member, Srinika expanded her collection efforts in December 2022, by partnering with Aarya.

The Northern Allegheny Lions Club also provided Srinika with Lions eyeglass collection boxes that she has placed at several local businesses and other organizations. The collection boxes can be found in almost all of North Allegheny’s elementary schools as well as Ingomar Middle and Intermediate schools.

Srinika and Aarya, who are both 12 and at Marshall Middle, have also placed the boxes in elementary schools of the Pine-Richland School District and are working during the summer to reach out to other school districts and local senior centers.

She and Aarya also collected used eyewear from neighbors and friends.

And they’ve set their sights further, taking their project internationally to India where there are also Lions Club groups, said Sowjanya.

“Both the girls have roots, and extended families in India and during their visit to India they have observed times a lot of people having difficulty in getting the basic necessities and even the most educated are not aware about the reuse of used eyeglasses,” Srinika’s mom said.

As part of outreach, girls have been talking to friends and relatives and connecting to various organizations in India.

Arya, who is from the northern part of India, was able to connect with Lion’s club in Mumbai.

Srinika is from Southern part of India where a Lions Club does not have an active presence, so she has been reaching out to other organizations and has received a positive response.

The teens are also working with Seva, a global nonprofit eye care organization, to join their youth Seva Squad to help promote Srinika and Aarya’s project.

Roberson presented Srinika and Aarya with Lions Club International Certificates of Appreciation this past February.

The two are also working with Mission Vision, a nonprofit organization established in 2004 by Ophthalmologist William Christie, M.D., of Cranberry Township, also a member of the Northern Allegheny Lions Club.

Mission Vision in Cranberry have volunteers who clean, measure, and pack the eyeglasses for volunteer medical teams to use on their missions to underserved countries.

Srinika recently donated to Mission Vision a $200 Seed Funding grant she was awarded by North South Foundation’s Young Changemakers Journey.