Community Donates Money For Wagoner Man To Deliver Eyeglasses To Ukraine

A Wagoner man is getting ready to go to Ukraine to help those who need it the most.

He's taking more than 2,000 pairs of eyeglasses to refugee camps.

Clayton Schwab said when he got the call, he was happy to go help. But he didn't know how he or his supplies would get there.

But the people in Wagoner County made it possible.

Schwab got a call from a charity group saying they needed him for optical clinics to help people in refugee camps.

“They get out with just maybe the clothes on their back. Most of them don’t have time to pick up their glasses,” said Schwab.

They told him they needed him as soon as possible, which meant he didn't have time to get the money together for the $8,000 trip.

"How can I get this much money that quick because I normally don’t keep that much money around," said Schwab.

He said he visited several churches in Wagoner, told them exactly what was going on, and they wanted to show people in Ukraine the Oklahoma standard.

“Our local Wagoner people have stepped up to the plate and I don’t need outside help. It’s all coming from here in our local community," said Schwab.

Now he's relieved to not have to worry about the price, because he can focus on providing quality care for the people who need it the most. He said doing that is priceless.

“You can see a child that’s maybe five, six years old that’s never had a chance at glasses, put a pair of glasses on them and watch them go, 'Oh!' You can’t buy that," said Schwab.

Schwab leaves in three days and will be traveling around Ukraine for six weeks.