EYEsee helps others see

Seniors Carly Bryeans and Gabriella Viverito have started a new Conant chapter of EYEsee, a program with chapters all over the nation which collects eyeglasses and sends them to people of all ages in third-world countries who can’t purchase glasses for themselves or don’t have the accessibility to get any prescriptions.

Bryeans and Viverito were introduced to the program through Paul Lewis, a Saint Viator graduate who now attends Harvard.

Bryeans said, “I was really interested in starting a chapter at Conant since Conant’s never done anything like this before.”

“It’s a great way to help out, even though it’s something small,” Viverito said, urging students to donate to this worthy cause.

Both Bryeans and Viverito plan to bring the organization with them to college and will choose underclassmen to continue the drive once they graduate Conant. Bryeans said, “I think it’ll be whoever me and Gabby see who really wants to do it.” She said that they should be interested, rather than simply doing it for the sake of having a nice looking college application.

“The goal is to involve underclassmen, sophomores and juniors, who would be willing to carry on the tradition of what those two girls have started. We hope to plan at least two drives every year,” said Eric Jacobsen, a social studies teacher and sponsor of EYEsee.

Donations of any used or unwanted prescription or nonprescription pairs of glasses will be accepted. They can be plastic or metal frames, single-vision, bifocals, and progressive glasses.

Dig through your cabinets at home and look for any glasses you have lying around and come to the atrium or Jacobsen’s room (209) and place them in the donation box. Donations will be collected through October 31; this week’s haul will go to the needy in Uganda, Mexico, Vietnam, Cameroon, Nigeria and the Philippines.

To learn more, go to eyeseemission.org.