More Glasses

We have continued working on quest to collect 1,000 pairs of glasses. We have 400 confirmed from New Eyes for the Needy that will be delivered in February, and we were able to sort out about 170 pairs from the donations gathered by the Bountiful chapter of the Lion's Club. Earlier this week, we spoke with the president of the Riverdale Chapter of the Lion's Club, who told us they had thousands of pairs available that we were welcome to sort through!
Today, Laura had the chance to meet George, with the Riverdale chapter, who helped us out with 5 nice boxes full of glasses. He was very pleasant and was interested in what we were doing with the glasses. After explaining the purpose of our trip, he asked us to call him when we returned from India. He invited us to come speak to the Riverdale chapter of the Lion's Club and tell them about our experience and where the glasses went. We are excited of getting to share with some of our gracious donors where their contributions went and the people whose lives they have touched.

Some fun random facts about Bihar:
*The name Bihar comes from the world "Vihara" meaning Buddhist monasteries. At one time, viharas filled the large countryside adn cities of Bihar. 

An ancient Vihara in Bihar

*The capital city of Patna was once known as Patliputra. Patliputra was home to a string of Indian monarchs that ruled over much of the Indian-subcontinent and had an empire that reached as far as Iran.

* Lord Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, was born in Bihar. 

A statue of Lord Mahavira, founder of Jainism