In a show of enthusiastic support, the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada contributed $300 toward senior Girl Scout Anna Heur’s “Step to Specs” project. Heur is a candidate for the coveted Girl Scout Gold Award. She is a La Cañada High School sophomore and created the project as a way to get gently-used prescription glasses to those who can’t afford them.

When Heur asked her former Palm Crest second grade teacher Nancy Leininger to be her sponsor, she was asked to make a presentation to the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada. Leininger serves on the Club’s newly-created seven-member Community Services Task Force, headed by Linda Fors. After Heur’s talk, several Club members immediately volunteered to help collect and keep an inventory of glasses donated by Kiwanis members and others. The project fit well with the Kiwanis’ mission of helping local youth and the community.

Launched in November 2020, Heur built a website to collect, display and provide a search engine to enable eye care professionals she’s partnered with to get glasses to those in need. To ensure the glasses are a match for a potential recipient, Heur uses a lensometer to identify the prescription details. She has already distributed glasses at the county hospital and has placed collection boxes and flyers at a gas station, bookstore, schools and optometry offices around town.

“I’ve worn glasses since the age of 5, and they have helped me pursue my education,” said Heur. “I wanted to ensure that others with impaired vision could have the same opportunities.”

A spirited Girl Scout for the past 10 years, Heur is always looking for ways to help others. Future plans include writing a book to bring positivity and encouragement to those who wear glasses.

For additional information, or to donate glasses, visit https://steptospecs.com. She can be emailed steptospecs@gmail.com.

For those interested in making friends and giving back while having fun, the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada extends an invitation to attend a Zoom meeting, held every Wednesday at noon, featuring the “Guest Speaker-of-the-Week” program. To get a private invitation to attend, email lacanadakiwanis@gmail.com. Also visit the website lacanadakiwanis.org.