BYU’s Y-Serve office hosted a service activity partnered with Friends for Sight, where volunteers popped lenses out of donated glasses and sorted the frames in order to send them across the world to those in need.
Y-Serve member Ryan Cluff explained that BYU works in tandem with an organization called Charity Vision to mail the frames to third-world countries. People in these countries “can refill the glasses with lenses with the right prescription,” Cluff said.
Paige Merkley, a student who has been attending the service activity since the beginning of the semester, said that she has a lot of fun at the events.
“I love coming because it's super fun to do. You also get to know a lot of different people. I've met a lot of different people through doing (this) because it's super easy to be able to talk to everyone as you're doing it,” Merkley said.
Spencer Fleming, another student participant, said his favorite part about the service project has been how you can visibly see yourself making a difference.
“It's just really cool to know that what you're doing is going to actually help people and help improve their lives,” Fleming said.
"It's just a great way to help people out that don't have as good access whenever we have all these amazing resources and tools here,” Cluff added.
Y-Serve and Friends for Sight were not the only clubs present. The Theatre and Media Arts department also joined the service efforts.
Professor Alexandra Johns said that the department’s theme this year, chosen by Chair Megan Jones, is Eyes to See — based on President Reese’s earlier address to the university.
“It’s about having eyes to see our own divine worth and the divine worth of others,” Johns said, explaining that this service project “seemed like a really lovely service opportunity connected to our theme as a department.“