Lindsay-Peterborough Movers receive Gordon Prusky Award for community service

The Oakwood and District Lions Club presented Lindsay-Peterborough Movers with the Gordon Prusky Award.

The award honours a community member for their outstanding service and contributions toward eyeglass recycling, sight and the environment.

Joby Lake, one of the partners at Lindsay-Peterborough Movers, accepted the award on behalf of the company.

“(The Lions) do the hard part, then we just transport (the glasses) so they can get distributed,” Lake said.

The Oakwood club is the collection point for more than 50 Lions Clubs in Kawartha Lakes, Trent Lakes, Durham Region and York Region to donate used eyeglasses. Once the Lions sort and package the glasses, Lindsay-Peterborough Movers ship them to the Canadian eyeglass recycling centre in Calgary.

The program began in 1925 when Helen Keller was invited to the Lions convention. She asked the Lions to be knights of the blind.

Lions Clubs member Ashleigh Larocque’s grandfather, Roger, took over the eyeglasses program in 2010. In the 12 years he was in charge 350,000 glasses were packed. His goal was to have packed half a million glasses by the 100thanniversary of the program.

This year marks that milestone, and the program is now close to 600,000 glasses.

“We appreciate the opportunity to help out. You don’t stay in a community for as long as we have without helping out,” Lake said.