Gleason Lions Eye Glass Recycling Center Grand Opening

Gleason Lions Opening Eyeglass Recycling Satellite for Wisconsin Lions Foundation
Gleason, WI – The Gleason Area Lions is proud to invite area businesses, representatives, media and the public to a grand opening of the Gleason Area Lions Eyeglass Recycling Satellite for the Wisconsin Lions Foundation on Saturday February 7, 2026 at 1:00 PM. The grand opening will take place at the Gleason Area Lions Building located at N59719 Bradley Street, Gleason, WI 54435.
The Wisconsin Lions Foundation Eyeglass Recycling Center, established in the early 1990s in Rosholt, Wisconsin, is one of just nineteen Lions International Certified Eyeglass Recycling Centers in the world. A small but dedicated team of staff and volunteers at the Rosholt facility sort, wash, read, package, and ship donated eyeglasses to missions around the globe. Over the years, eyeglass donations have continued to grow, while other recycling centers have reduced capacity or closed, placing increased demands on the Rosholt operation.
In response to rising demand, the Wisconsin Lions Foundation first sought assistance in 1997. Several Lions Clubs answered the call by providing seasonal support to the eyeglass recycling center, some of which continue to this day. The success of those partnerships set the stage for the next phase of the satellite process.
The Beloit Family Eye Care recently opened the first year-round eyeglass recycling satellite location in January 2026, expanding the Foundation’s ability to process donated glasses efficiently. The Gleason Area Lions are opening the second year-round satellite location. At the satellite locations, eyeglasses are read using an automatic lensometer and then packaged for missions to be distributed by the Wisconsin Lions Foundation.
During the grand opening, representatives of the Gleason Area Lions Club and Wisconsin Lions Foundation will have a ribbon cutting, facility tour, and demonstration of the state-of-the-art automatic lensometers, which allow local volunteers to read prescriptions on used eyeglasses in under 1 minute with limited training.
The Gleason Area Lions satellite location represents an important step forward in ensuring donated eyeglasses continue to reach individuals in need, both efficiently and sustainably, while strengthening Wisconsin’s role in Lions’ global vision mission throughout the world.
Schedule of Events:
1:00 PM Public Reception & Ribbon Cutting
1:15 PM Live Demonstration of the Automatic Lensometer
1:30 PM Interviews with Project Leaders
Media Inquiries: Mary Ann Gretenhardt, Gleason Lions, shdw505@aol.com, 715-873-4691