Women in Lions Symposium & Garden Tea Party

Women in Lions is inviting all women to attend an intimate, elegant garden tea with hearty hors d’oeuvres at Hakone Gardens, inspiring women through meaningful conversation, leadership, and connection. The evening includes featured speakers, networking, a service project, and mindfulness/self-care stations throughout the gardens.

  • Wednesday, May 13, 5-8 pm
  • Hakone Gardens, 21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga
  • Tickets: SOLD OUT!

Click here for updated event information.

This event is a project of District 4-C6 Lions.

Also see the Dads and Dudes Pizza Night.

Eyeglass Sorting Event

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Lions Club Eyeglass Recycling

A Lions Partnership with Lions in Sight and Vista Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired

sign-Lions Recycle for Sight

This is a volunteer event to help sort and clean donated used eyeglasses. Volunteer for part of the time, or work the entire event. Lunch will be provided. You do not need to sign up in advance for this event.

  • Help sort, clean, and box eyeglasses for shipment.
  • No heavy lifting required. 
  • No previous experience required.
  • Willingness to have fun while volunteering a plus!
  • Suitable for most skill levels/abilities.
  • Donations of clean towels and apple boxes also accepted.
    • We are currently in urgent need of apple boxes!
    • Please, bring apple boxes only (for consistent size). Speak to the produce manager at your local grocery store to see if you can pick up their empty apple boxes. Do not bring us other boxes.
  • Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026
  • Time: 9:00am-2:00pm
  • Location: Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 101 N. Bascom Ave., San Jose.
    (Building is at the rear of the property).
⏵ Click to find out more about the scope of, and who is involved, in this great event…

Lions are in receipt of 100,000 or more used eyeglasses every couple of months through an anonymous corporate relationship. As of May 2025, more than ONE MILLION used eyeglasses have been recycled with the help of volunteers.

We couldn’t have done this without all of the volunteers that join us for our sorting events. Thank you! The recycled prescription eyeglasses are distributed to the needy in Lions in Sight and Lions International sponsored international medical missions.

Vista Center has graciously provided a room at their San Jose location for storage, and use of their auditorium for sorting and cleaning the donated eyeglasses.

⏵ Read more about this wonderful community activity, and one of our sorting events, in this article by SJSU’s Trevor Phillips by clicking this text.

This article features San Jose State University alumni and current students involved in an eye glasses refurbishing project at the Vista Center on Bascom Ave. The article features the Delta Gamma sorority, Gayle Kludt, Bob Stewart, Dave Kaplow and Her Campus, all involved in this incredible initiative.

Photo of some of the participants. Text: Framing the Future, One Lens at a Time. Despite the gloomy morning in San Jose, the Vista Center on North Bascom was already bustling with activity as people shuffled inside Some volunteers briskly weaved through the neatly spaced folding tables, carrying out various tasks.
Read the article

Painting Days of Summer

Join the College of Adaptive Arts and District 4-C6 Lions for
Painting Days of Summer

Join us for a great team-building Community Service Painting Week
Monday, June 22-Friday, June 26, 2026.

  • Half or Full Day time slots are available.

Join the fun on a paint team:

  • Prep
  • Detail
  • Paint
  • Reset & Clean

Join us as we help refresh the College of Adaptive Art’s classrooms and create a more vibrant, welcoming space for their students. Whether you’re taping, painting, or helping with setup, your time and energy will make a real impact. No experience needed—just come ready to contribute! Lunch and snacks are provided!

You can sign up for multiple slots! Sign-up on SignUpGenius

Download the Flyer

Weekly Activity: Lensometer Training & Use

sign-Lions Recycle for Sight

Volunteers needed to help measure used eyeglass lens strength

Lensometer training & use continues on Tuesdays, from 9:00am-11am, 11:00am-1:00pm, and 1:00pm-3:00pm. Four Lensometers are available per shift.

A lensometer is a device used to measure the strength of each lens in a donated pair of glasses. We use them so that we can label and sort the used eyeglasses to be given to someone in need. We have many thousands of pairs of glasses to be tested and labeled.

Eyeglass Sorting
Additional volunteers can also help sort and clean donated eyeglasses (the steps that occur before measuring the prescription with a lensometer). We sort donated eyeglasses to pick out the pairs that are not scratched or broken and can be reused as is. The broken eyeglasses are recycled.

Monthly Activity: Sorting & Labeling Donated Items

Help sort and label donated clothing, toiletries, etc. for The Grateful Garment Project

2025 Holiday Schedule: We will move sorting in Nov. and Dec. to Thursday November 20 and Thursday December 18. Sorting will not take place on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days.

On the fourth Thursday of each month, from 2:00-4:30pm, we help The Grateful Garment Project sort and label newly donated items. Contact us if you would like to join us at one of these sorting events.

The Grateful Garment Project provides victims of sexual violence the clothing and other resources they need to reclaim their dignity and begin the healing process. They work with hospitals, shelters, law enforcement and other nonprofits to meet victims’ immediate needs after a crisis, and support their ongoing needs along their road to recovery

Left: emergency whistles have been labeled. Right: Lions sit at a table attaching labels to new items.

Donate your old eyeglasses.

Do you have a pair of old but usable eyeglasses to donate? We collect used eyeglasses for reuse by those in need. In our area, you can drop off your gently used (not broken or scratched) eyeglasses at the following locations:

  • Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 101 N. Bascom Ave. (at the back of the property), San Jose (24 Hour Dropbox located outside lobby door.) Map/directions.
  • Total Vision Campbell, 338 E. Hamilton Ave. @ Central Ave., Campbell. Map/directions.
  • Spectrum Eye Physicians
  • Dr. Sayed Jovkar, M.D., 15251 National Ave., #100, Los Gatos Map/Directions
  • Costco Eye Centers
  • Bring them to one of our meetings: 1st-4th Thursdays of each month (except on holidays), 12:00 noon-1:30pm at Denny’s, 1140 Hillsdale Ave., San Jose Map/Directions

Please, do not leave printer cartridges, hearing aids, or cellphones at these locations. Only eyeglasses are accepted at dropoff locations.

Additional lists of donation locations:

Click here for additional information about donations to our club.

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