Providing Eyeglasses
For a number of years, the Madison Lions Club has helped provide eyeglasses to people who lack suitable health insurance and cannot afford the cost. This has long been a program near and dear to our club. The current guidelines for obtaining these glasses are listed below.
Eye exam: We are pleased to report that we now have providers who will perform eye exams as part of this program.
Age of participant: We serve people of all ages. Schoolchildren recommended by school nurses may also participate in the Vision USA Wisconsin Project. Vision USA uses its own application form, which can be obtained from the Vision USA website. The Madison Lions Club has partnered with the Wisconsin Optometric Association for this project.
Residency: Participants must have established at least 12 months of residency in Madison or have a child in their household attending the Madison Metropolitan School District.
Previous Lions assistance: Participants cannot have received previous eyeglass assistance from the Madison Lions Club within the last two years. We have updated this guideline to better serve Madison residents.
Financial eligibility: Participants must qualify using the following chart. Referring agencies should request and retain a copy of the applicant's federal tax return from the previous year.
| Household size | Annual income | Monthly income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $23,828 | $1,986 |
| 2 | $32,227 | $2,686 |
| 3 | $40,626 | $3,386 |
| 4 | $49,025 | $4,086 |
| 5 | $57,424 | $4,786 |
Application: Applications for eyeglass grants must be made through an authorized agency. Authorized agencies may request an application form via email at grants@madisonlionsclub.org. If your agency would like to be authorized to assist the Madison Lions Club, a person from your agency should request access via email at grants@madisonlionsclub.org. Only agencies that are willing to comply with Madison Lions Club requirements will be authorized, and applications will be monitored to ensure compliance.
Current Authorized Agencies
- Access Community Health Centers
- Access to Independence Inc.
- Aging and Disability Resource Center of Dane County
- Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
- Forward Service Corporation
- Housing Initiatives
- Jewish Social Services of Madison
- Joining Forces for Families
- Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan, Inc.
- Madison Street Medicine
- MEDiC Clinics
- NewBridge Madison
- Porchlight
- Public Health Madison & Dane County
- Reach Dane
- RESPECT — ARC Community Services Inc.
- Salvation Army
- Tenant Resource Center
- UW Health
- WayForward Resources
- WisCARES
- Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired