In 1917, a Chicago businessman wondered what would happen if people put their energy together to build better communities. Melvin Jones would go on to form the Lions Club, a century-old organization that continues to strive to improve local communities through collective action.

One way they do this is through their eyeglasses recycling program. There are local drop boxes everywhere, including many right here in Oregon. Those glasses go to people who otherwise could not afford quality prescription eyewear. If you are near-sighted or far-sighted you will appreciate the value of those glasses to someone who has not had them before.

It is easy to overlook these older established organizations when we look to improve our communities. But organizations like the Lions have been doing good work long before most of us were born.

Melvin Jones did see a better world, and he helped to make it.

I took several pairs of my son’s old eyeglasses to a local Lion’s Club drop center at the Murray Hill Eye Clinic. With luck, they will find a child somewhere who needs them.