Looking for a Boy Scout Eagle project, 16-year-old Jon DeLaMare of Salt Lake City, Utah, found one nine thousand miles away in the Philippines. Jon’s uncle, David DeLaMare, is the Quezon City Mission President for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He communicated with Jon about a critical need for eye glasses in the Philippines. The need was not only for reading glasses but for prescription glasses as well. Due to economic concerns, many find it hard to buy reading glasses and would just go by without it.
Jon has been an active Boy Scout for the past four years advancing in rank on a regular schedule. The highest award in Scouting is to become an Eagle Scout. To earn the award a scout needs to complete an approved Eagle Project. When Jon learned about the opportunity to help people see better he knew this would be his project. He was very excited to get started. With his uncle's counsel, he decided that the eye glasses would go to the people of Mindoro and the Morong district (diocese) of the Church.
In July 2012, Jon organized the scouts in his troop as well as the other troops in the surrounding neighborhood. They met and decided on a plan to complete the task. They distributed flyers to all the homes in their areas asking people to donate eye glasses they were no longer using. Returning several days later, they began to collect them. The scouts collected more than 300 pairs of glasses. Some people donated money and the funds were used to buy more eye glasses. Jon said, “It was a great success and a great project to help people in need. I really enjoyed the project."
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Next, they cleaned and sanitized the glasses. They then placed the glasses into individual plastic bags and sorted them as reading glasses or prescription lenses. The more than 300 pairs of eye glasses filled a large suitcase when they were done. Jon’s father who was guiding him through the whole process asked Jon if he would like to go to the Philippines to deliver the eye glasses. He answered with a resounding yes! Plans were then made for Jon, his father, and brother-in-law to come to the Philippines in October to distribute the eyeglasses together with civic and church leaders.
The eye glasses were gratefully received by those who needed it most. Due to time and travel constraints, Jon was unable to help in the distribution of the eye glasses in Mindoro. School was calling and Jon needed to return home. Jon said, “The people of the Philippines are so nice and friendly and I enjoy being here. This was a perfect Eagle Project to help people who needed some help... and I got to come to the Philippines.”