Colorado Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center (COLERC)Annual Meeting Report
April 17, 2025
This has been a busy year for COLERC. We are now a registered Nonprofit with the State of Colorado, holding an IRS 501 (c) (3) non-profit Public Charity status.
Next year, each district will have the opportunity to elect, at their convention, a new Board Member to COLERC, plus one statewide at-large member to be elected at the MD6 Convention.
- District 6W and the At-large member will be for a 3-year term.
- District 6NE and 6C will be a 2-year term.
- District 6SE will have a 1-year term.
- All terms after that will be 3 years.
In February, we purchased four new TopCon Solo Lensometers, with half of the funding provided by a Colorado Lions Foundation Grant, a quarter of the funding from the MD6 Used Eyeglass Fund, approved by the Council, and a quarter by COLERC. In March COLERC purchased two more lensometers, for a total of six new lensometers. Four of the new lensometers replaced older models at COLERC; one replaced the oldest model in 6SE, and one replaced the older model in 6NE. The Golden Lions Club also purchased a lensometer for use within their club.
The following clubs have volunteered at COLERC in the past year:
- Adams Centennial, Arvada, Bennet-Watkins, Centennial Airport, Chatfield, Denver, Englewood, Golden, Highlands Ranch, Idaho Springs, Lafayette, Louisville, Nederland, RM Cyber, Swink
In addition to COLERC Volunteers, the Pueblo Charter Lions have two lensometers, District 6NE, the Woodland Park/Nob Hill Lions and Golden Lions each have one lensometer. Pueblo processed 1718 pairs, Woodland Park/Nob Hill 900 pairs and Golden 800 pairs this year. Each also brings specialty glasses for Missouri and unusable glasses for “ReSpecs”.
COLERC has reached out to non-Lions organizations to expand the pool of volunteers. Non-Lion Volunteers are:
- Retired Peace Corps Volunteers of Colorado
- Uber Freight
- Denver Community Church and Christ
- Rooted 303
- General Electric Appliance divisions
- Sixteen members of their sales team volunteered at COLERC for four hours, processing hundreds of eyeglasses. One of the bottlenecks in processing glasses is the washing/sanitizing/drying. The GE team donated a new dishwasher.
This year, we have provided a total of 15,350 glasses to 18 organizations as follows:
- 7/17/24 New Raymer Network Beyond-Uganda
- 8/2/24 Denver Steve Kinsky - Ecuador
- 9/7/24 Denver Jean-Claude Hounou - Togo
- 9/13/24 Denver Advent Health-Jenn Eckles -Peru
- 10/15/24 Denver Steve Kinsky - Mexico
- 10/20/24 Denver Dr. James Conahan - Denver
- 11/6/24 Denver Nancy Sanchez Colorado Coalition for the Homeless - Denver
- 12/12/24 Denver Global Medical Brigades-CU - Ghana
- 12/14/24 Denver St. Francis Center
- 1.3/2025 Boulder Deacon House - Boulder
- 1/16/25 Gill Lions District 6 NE
- 1/28/25 Ft Worth Global Health Initiative-North Texas University - Guatemala
- 3/4/25 Illinois Global Medical Brigades-Ill State University - Guatemala
- 3/7/25 Idaho Global Medical Brigades-Idaho College - Honduras
- 3/18/25 Nevada Global Medical Brigades, UNLV - Greece
- 4/1/25 Denver Project CURE - Worldwide
- 4/3/25 Flagstaff AZ Global Medical Brigades, - Guatemala
- Totals -- 8,080 single/bifocal 3,520 Readers 3,750 Plano Sunglasses Total 15,350
We were unable to fill orders for 4,320 pairs of glasses this year due to a lack of inventory. This is why we need more volunteers and satellite processing centers.
We received 2000 pairs of new non-prescription sunglasses from COORS Brewery in Golden. They were closing their souvenir shop at the brewery.
Glasses that are damaged or that we cannot use are sent to “ReSpecs”, a company in California that salvages all of the parts to keep them out of landfills. They pay for the shipping, and we normally receive a small remittance for what we send them. We purchased a shipping container to store glasses to be shipped to “ReSpecs”.
Over 30 brands of Specialty Glasses (RayBan, Maui Jim, Oakley, Prada, etc.) and prescription sunglasses are sent to an organization in Missouri. The organization pays COLERC for the glasses, which provides for the ongoing operation of COLERC.
On a final note, I would like to thank Denver Lion Nancy Hooper’s business, “Set the Stage,” for providing COLERC with the office space free of charge. It would be hard to afford the space we need if we had to pay rent.
I would like to thank the Sterling Lions Club for their years of collaboration with the Sterling Prison in launching and operating this program before the pandemic.
I would also like to thank District 6NE for providing a number of pallets, used boxes for shipping glasses to Missouri, a free pallet jack, and for shipping a truckload of glasses to “ReSpecs” from their storage.
Website: www.COLERC.org
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CLICK HERE to download and print the Annual Report.
CLICK HERE for COLERC financial report
CLICK HERE for new COLERC by-laws
COLERC is a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization certified by the IRS and the Colorado Secretary of State. CLICK HERE for documentation.
COLERC is now listed on the LCI website as one of eleven US Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centers. CLICK HERE for LERC's around the world.
Email: colerc.foundation@gmail.com