A TOTAL of 500 underprivileged students have a good reason to smile when they were presented with spectacle vouchers each under the Vision Awareness Project by Lions Club International District 308 Region One and Region Two.
Organising chairman Edward Ooi said the students were selected from 35 schools, including primary and secondary schools in Penang.
“They just need to use the vouchers at any participating optical shops to get their pair of spectacles for free.
“We notice that nowadays there are many school students from poor families who have an eyesight problem but are incapable to get a new pair of spectacles for themselves because of the financial constraints.
“Thus, through this project, we are glad that we can finally help them get new spectacles so that they can have a perfect eyesight once again,” Ooi said in his speech during the handover ceremony at All Seasons Place shopping mall in Bandar Baru Ayer Itam today.
Also present were state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin, who is also the Paya Terubong assemblyman, Air Itam assemblyman Joseph Ng Soon Siang, Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen and Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh.
Ooi also would like to express his utmost gratitude and appreciation to Yeoh and Ng who gave a helping hand by contributing RM3,000 each from their constituency funds to help make the programme a success.
Meanwhile, Yeoh commended the organisation for their noble efforts and also urged more non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to step forward by organising such campaign to help those from needy families.
At the programme today, there were also an eye screening session, a talk on eye-care awareness and protection and cataract screening for the public.
Story and pix by Riadz Akmal