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Dale Bowman’s work as a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times has him combing fields, streams and mountains for good stories. One week might find the award-winning outdoors writer hiking through woods to write about fishing in Monster Lake, another week he’s chronicling the tale of a forager’s massive morel.

Being a good reporter isn’t just about writing, it’s about listening. The idea is to make a connection with people so they share their stories. Sometimes when they do, the writer has an opportunity to share his, too.

That’s what happened 20 years ago when Bowman was working on a profile of Paul Martin, a well-known wrestler and TV personality.

The men met over breakfast and during the interview Martin told the reporter he was writing a book about the history of Lions Clubs International. The two started talking about the Lions and the conversation sparked a memory of Bowman’s about something meaningful the Lions had done for him a number of decades before.

Bowman was a country kid growing up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the fifth of six children. He had just started first grade and was in tears every day at school. “Nobody could figure out why,” he says. “Then my best friend Johnny King figured it out. I’m not sure how. I was crying because couldn’t read the blackboard.”

The 6-year-old needed glasses. But his family had no money to buy them. “My father worked in a stone quarry and probably wasn’t bringing home much more than $100 a week at the time,” says Bowman, 52. “The cost of glasses was so much there was absolutely no chance we were going to be able to afford them.”

The school nurse referred the boy to the Salisbury Township Lions Club and before too long, Bowman had his glasses. They were thick with heavy, black rectangular frames. Kids at school made fun of the way he looked, but he didn’t care. He could see.

Soon after he got his glasses, his dad was made foreman of the quarry and Bowman no longer needed help from the Lions. He grew up, finished school and forgot all about his Lion’s glasses until his meeting with Martin 16 years later. “He reminded me of where I came from,” he says. “It made me realize that I had reached a point in my life where maybe I should probably start thinking about giving something back.”

Since then, whenever Bowman encounters Lions selling candy, he searches his pockets for money. Instead of tossing in coins, he tosses in paper bills. And whenever he has one, he’ll contribute a $20. “They always look twice when I drop a $20 in, but that’s my way to pay back."

The Lions Club has a huge eyeglass recycling program, collecting more than 5 million pairs of eyeglasses annually and distributing them to more than 3 million people in developing nations. Donating your old or unused glasses provides life-changing vision services for needy people all around the world. You can make a difference in the life of a vision-impaired person. Donate your glasses today!