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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Scout Is On Visionary Mission To Bring Eyeglasses To Mexico

Rob Olson carried three cardboard boxes into the living room.

“These are my bifocals and trifocals, these are my single vision glasses and these are my others,” Olson said, sorting through dozens of pairs of glasses.

By Tuesday, he had collected 163 pairs. He has contacted optometrists and asked for donations through his school and church.

“That’s doing really good. Usually the Scout who goes gets about 100 pairs.”

Olson is an Eagle Scout and a senior at East Valley High School.

Next week, he and his boxes will set off on a mission of good will. No matter how large it grows in the next few days, his collection of glasses will look like a drop - added to an ocean of used spectacles donated to help poor people in Mexico.

“Last year we lived in Provo (Utah) while my dad got his master’s at BYU. It was like a big camping trip for a year,” Olson said.

That was how he met Dr. Ronald Pugh, a Utah optometrist who has traveled on several such missions, through a group called Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity. Pugh makes his trips annually, usually selecting one Eagle Scout to help each year. This year, he chose Olson.

On Tuesday Olson will head off to Mexico, with Pugh and about 30 other volunteers.

At 17, Olson is the oldest of five children in his family. He’s an actor and a singer. “If we need someone to sing the national anthem, he’s always ready to help out,” said East Valley High teacher Trisha Smith.

He’s also learned to meet life - and change - with a smile.

“Either you can roll along with it (life’s changes) or be miserable. It really comes down to that,” he said with a smile. The Olson family has moved 20 times, as Rob’s father Bob Olson, now a teacher, furthered his education and his career.

The younger Olson expects long days, perhaps learning to give eye exams, working with people hoping for help with their eyes. Pugh’s visits usually attract thousands of poverty-stricken Mexicans.

“This’ll be the first time you’ll miss Thanksgiving,” said Susan Olson, Rob’s mother. Her first-born son should be home about Dec. 1.

But between now and Tuesday, he’s still collecting used glasses.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TO DONATE GLASSES. . . If you would like to donate used glasses, including sunglasses or non-prescription glasses, call East Valley High School at 927-3200 or drop the glasses at the school. For this trip, donations must be in hand by Monday. But Olson intends to keep collecting glasses for future trips.

This sidebar appeared with the story: TO DONATE GLASSES. . . If you would like to donate used glasses, including sunglasses or non-prescription glasses, call East Valley High School at 927-3200 or drop the glasses at the school. For this trip, donations must be in hand by Monday. But Olson intends to keep collecting glasses for future trips.