EYEsee News
EYEsee Reports on Worldwide Health Missions it Supported in 2011
EYEsee supplied recycled eyeglasses to the various health missions by its partner organizations in 2011. EYEsee also responded to the requests by other mission-directed organizations for help with their overseas health missions in 2011. All these health missions were conducted in some of the poorest areas of the world’s populations. The patients seen during these missions don’t have much, they simply cannot afford the vision care and eyeglasses they desperately need. They were very grateful for the medical care and the eyeglasses they received during these missions. Together, EYEsee and its partners are making a remarkable difference in alleviating global poverty.
2011 Health Mission to Surigao del Sur Province, Philippines
EYEsee supported the Physicians for Peace’s Seeing Clearly Program with a donation of 3,000 recycled eyeglasses in 2011. Physicians for Peace has volunteer healthcare teams in some of the world’s most desperate regions. In 2011, they deployed 159 volunteers on 48 missions to 16 countries in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Central America. Their volunteer healthcare teams have provided free life-changing care to hundreds of patients around the world.
Seeing Clearly program was founded in 2006 to address the overwhelming need for vision care in underserved areas, including the Philippines, where more than half a million people are blind and many more are visually impaired. This program helps people who cannot afford vision care and the cost of eyeglasses.
On July 16-27, 2011, a team of Physicians for Peace healthcare volunteers conducted a health mission in Tandag, the capital of Surigao del Sur Province in the Philippines. 813 patients received free vision care, with 80% receiving recycled or pre-made eyeglasses. Over 100 eye surgeries were performed during this mission.
The patients’ gratitude was clear. Pastor Roberto (seen on left of the photo) had corneal scarring which the Physicians for Peace team could not treat, but he thanked the volunteers profusely for the eyeglasses that would allow him to read his bible again. He lives "uphill" and had traveled several hours to get to the hospital. After lunch on that day of the mission alone, there were over 70 patients in line waiting for eyeglasses.
For additional info about Physician for Peace, visit www.physiciansforpeace.org or contact by phone (757) 625-7368 or mail Physicians for Peace, 500 E. Main Street, Suite 900, Norfolk, VA 23510.
2011 Health Mission to Batangas Province, Philippines
EYEsee supported the EyeCare WeCare Foundation’s medical missions to the Philippines with a donation of over 2,000 recycled eyeglasses in 2011. On June 1-6, 2011, EyeCare WeCare held their medical mission in Lemery/Tall, Province of Batangas in the northern island of Luzon, Philippines. This mission set a record for the number of lives changed: 1,703 received free vision care, 1,688 were fitted with free graded eyeglasses, and over 70 were scheduled for eye surgeries.
Two volunteer optometric physicians (Dr. Mark Bernardo and Dr. Yin-Yin Aung) and a volunteer optometry student (Ed Barilla) assisted during this mission. Their work allowed EyeCare WeCare to identify more pathology than past missions. EyeCare WeCare was able to dilate suspicious eye condition and perform more ophthalmoscopy and biomicroscopy on more patients during this mission. All the doctors conferred with each other as to the needed further treatment and all agreed as to what would be the best avenue of treatment and referral. Also assisting in the mission was Derrick Buchanan, an optician from Portland, Oregon, who was in charge of selecting the closest prescription for the patients from the EyeCare WeCare large supply of recycled eyeglasses.
For additional info about EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc., visit www.eyecarewecare.org or contact by phone (360) 593-2353 or mail EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc., 304 N. Talbot, Montesano, WA 98563.
2011 Health Mission to Ebeye Island, Republic of Marshall Islands
EYEsee supported the Canvasback Missions’ health missions to the Republic of Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia with a donation of 500 recycled eyeglasses in 2011.
In October 2011, Canvasback conducted a health mission in Ebeye Island, a tiny atoll in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean, where residents go without access to eye care, even if it means that they go blind. This island has a population of more than 15,000. Over 50% of the population is estimated to be under the age of 18. With crowded living conditions, an inadequate school system, and scarce clean water, Ebeye has been known by the unofficial title of "Slum of the Pacific." Physician volunteers performed 207 eye surgeries, which mean 207 Ebeye Islanders now have the gift of sight. Other people received improved vision from the free eyeglasses they were fitted.
For additional info about Canvasback Missions, Inc., visit www.canvasback.org or contact (707) 746-7828 or mail Canvasback Missions, Inc., 940 Adams Street, Suite R, Benicia, CA 94510
2011 Health Missions to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, Uganda and Bunagana, Congo
EYEsee supported the PeopleWeaver’s medical mission to Uganda and Congo with a donation of 100 recycled eyeglasses in 2011. PeopleWeaver is a non-profit organization established to provide economic assistance, such as microcredit loans, to impoverished women in developing countries. Currently, their efforts are focused on the women refugees living in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda.
In May 2011, PeopleWeaver traveled to Uganda in May and distributed some of the eyeglasses during their annual microcredit meeting. The meeting was attended by the women who have received loans, women who hope to receive loans, project leaders, community members, and community leaders.
PeopleWeaver then traveled for the first time to Bunagana in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to explore the possibility of giving microcredit loans there. This is the area many of the Kyangwali refugees they work with are from. They took about 20 pairs of glasses to Bunagana. They did not announce they had the glasses, but after giving a pair to one person, the word spread quickly and people started showing up at our door each morning and throughout the day. They were told people were coming days after they left.
For additional info about PeopleWeaver, visit www.peopleweaver.org or contact (303) 870-7125 or mail PeopleWeaver, 4295 Niblick Drive, Longmont, CO 80503.
2011 Health Mission to Campamento, Olancho, Honduras
EYEsee supported the St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church’s June 7-14, 2011 health mission to their sister parish in Campamento, Olancho, Honduras, with a donation of 500 recycled eyeglasses. This mission was St. Philip’s 15th visit with the Santa Parish. Fr. Abelardo Huanaca, associate pastor of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, led a group of St. Philip volunteers on this mission. The mission distributed over 650 pair of reading glasses during their visit. Nearly all were sized and handed directly to people in remote and impoverished villages and communities. Both EYEsee and the NW Lions Eyeglasses Recycling Center supplied the eyeglasses for this mission.
Mission volunteers took the eyeglasses with them everywhere they visited—villages, small towns, communities, ‘a spot in the road’, as well as, a local senior’s center. They would find a convenient spot and set up our reading glasses distribution point—sometimes inside a chapel or other building and sometimes outdoors. They used a modified hand-held chart, converted into Spanish with numbers and symbols, to assess their ‘patients’ needs. Some of the volunteers spoke Spanish and they were augmented by several Santa Ana church members.
Mission volunteers formally and informally set up shop around twenty times. As word got out, they also distributed reading glasses from their lodging area on the Santa Ana church property. In some cases they gave 3-4 pair of random sized reading glasses to a wife and for her husband who was working in the fields. The volunteers figured that if he could not use them another family member or an extended family member could use them.
For additional info about the Santa Ana Mission of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, contact (770) 478-1542 or mail St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, 591 Flint Rd., Jonesboro, GA 30238.
2011 Health Mission to Jarabacoa, Dominican RepublicEYEsee supported the Latino Medical Association’s (LMSA) December 18-22, 2011 health Mission to the mountains of Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic with a donation of 405 recycled eyeglasses. LMSA is a non-profit student-run organization at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. This health mission was LMSA’s second annual trip to Jarabacoa.
LMSA’s health missions are run entirely by volunteer physicians and medical students who are all vision screening certified to be able to provide eyeglasses to those patients that have the most need for eyeglasses. Their clinic flow includes a vision screening station where volunteer physicians and medical students provide the best fitting eyeglasses to those patients that truly need eyeglasses.
In 2010, LMSA provided free vision care to 400 adults and children and handed out 150 reading glasses at their mission site of Higos de Hatillo in Jarabacoa. In 2011, they extended their mission trip by another three clinic days in order to serve additional new patients.
LMSA is also dedicated to serving underrepresented populations in the Tampa Bay-area as well as providing mentoring to underserved students in their community. They also seek to promote awareness of Latino health issues to current and incoming health professionals at the University of South Florida College of Medicine.
For additional info about the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) of the University of South Florida College of Medicine, contact (954) 913-1084 or mail Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC 4. Tampa, FL 33612.
EYEsee Supports June 1-6, 2011 Medical Mission to Lemery/Taal, Province of Batangas, Philippines
Dr. Jim Weyrich, Founder and President of EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc., reports on the foundation's 12th mission to the Philippines to Lemery Taal, Province of Batangas. The foundation's 'Clinic on Wheels' reaches patients in rural Philippines. EYEsee has supported EyeCare WeCare’s missions to the Philippines with a donation of 2,000 recycled eyeglasses in 2011.
Every single mission there are new venues, different experiences, great teamwork, many people blessed and we keep in mind that God is present at all time working in us and through us to bring His great gift of sight to the poorest of the poor here in the Philippines. First of all, we know by experience in the mission field, that no matter how well the plans are made in advance they do not always go according to plan. This mission is no different. The first major change came when, after months of negotiations with the ferryboat/shipping company, they cancelled our sail dates (this also happened during our January mission but we were able to move ahead in our schedule and still hit the venue times for the mission). But this time, we could not get there in time for the mission. We had to abort our plans of travel to island hop from Negros to Panay Island, (2 hour ferry boat ride) drive 7 hours to the other end of Panay island, catch a ferry to Mindoro Island (6 hours ferry boat ride), drive 6 hours to the north of Mindoro and catch a ferry to Batangas (a 2-hour ferry boat ride) to make the ferry boat schedules. It took two days to get to the mission (Batangas) and then two days to return from the trip. There was much higher fuel costs of the bus and the 25 volunteers had to try to rest on the ferry boat rides and inside the mobile clinic. It was quite an adventure that never before our volunteers had ever experienced. Then, because of lack of cooperation from the local medical community in the Lemery/Taal area, we had to abort the plan to do the cataract surgeries simultaneous with our medical mission. It is very unfortunate, but now we will transport all of the patients needing surgery to Manila where their free surgeries will be performed.
On the positive side, however, we had some things that were plusses and not minuses. First of all we had great support from our host/sponsors, Mr. Bayani Diokno and Mr. Cris Cueto. The stay at the private beach resort was donated to the foundation's volunteers by Mr. Cueto's second cousin. It was the very first time that we actually had a place to stay on the ocean and it was much more elegant than what our volunteers are used to. The food was wonderful and the day after the medical mission everyone was bussed to Tagaytay, where we got to see the active Taal volcano in the middle of Lake Taal. It is the shortest of all active volcanoes in the world and from Tagaytay, you actually look down, not up at the crater.
The biggest change and the most beneficial thing that was different about this mission were the volunteer optometric physicians and one Optometry student. Dr.'s Mark Bernardo and Yin-Yin Aung were able to exclusively look for pathology, and our Optometry Student, Ed Barilla, helped also in checking for ocular pathology. We were able to identify more pathology than any other missions because we were able to dilate any suspicious eye condition and perform direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy on all and also a bio-microscopy on all patients. All the doctors conferred with each other as to needed further treatment and all agreed as to what would be the best avenue of treatment and refer. We didn't have to do that with the cataract and pterygium referrals, because they were very obvious. We were again fortunate to have Derrick Buchannan, the optician from Portland, Oregon, have him be in charge of selecting the closest prescription for the patients from our large supply of recycled eyeglasses.
This 6-day mission set Eyecare WeCare’s all-time record: 1,703 indigents receive free vision care, 1,688 received graded eyeglasses, and 70 were scheduled to receive eye surgeries.
For additional info, visit www.eyecarewecare.org or contact EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc., 304 N. Talbot, Montesano, WA 98563, phone (360) 593-2353.
EYEsee Concludes ‘2011 Campaign’ with Over 8,700 Eyeglasses Collected
Operating upon the theme that ‘Everyone deserves the right to see clearly,’ EYEsee rolled out ‘2011 Campaign’─its third annual used eyeglasses collection drive in the Chicago-area─on January 22, 2011 with the initial weekend collection drive led by Saint Viator students at Queen of the Rosary Parish in Elk Grove Village. ‘2011 Campaign’ netted over 8,700 eyeglasses and achieved its goal of expanding into new collection areas this year. It also garnered media publicity, including the Daily Herald (April 11, 2011 and April 20, 2011 issues). 
Fifteen churches hosted EYEsee’s weekend collection drives between January 22 and June 5, 2011. They are Queen of the Rosary (Elk Grove), St. Matthew (Schaumburg), St. Edna (Arlington Hts.), Holy Family (Inverness), Mary Seat of Wisdom (Park Ridge), St. Anne (Barrington), St. Raymond de Penafort (Mt. Prospect), Immanuel Lutheran (Palatine), St. Thomas of Villanova (Palatine), St. Isaac Joques (Niles), Church of the Holy Spirit (Schaumburg), St. Peter the Apostle (Itasca), St. James (Arlington Hts.), St. Thomas Becket (Mt. Prospect) and Prince of Peace (Palatine). Thirty-three St. Viator High School students led these weekend collection drives, collective logging 330 service hours.
Six senior homes opened their doors to EYEsee by hosting Saturday collection drives for their residents. They are The Garlands (Barrington), Church Creek Sunrise (Arlington Hts.), The Park at Golf Mill (Niles), Heritage of Des Plaines (Des Plaines), Schaumburg Sunrise (Schaumburg) and Victory Centre (Bartlett). Six St. Viator High School students led these Saturday collection drives, collectively logging more than 40 hours.
Campus Minister Beth Knobbe helped EYEsee run its second annual collection drive at Northwestern University’s Sheil Catholic Center on May 22, 2011. EYEsee also ran its first annual collection drive at The University of Chicago Calvert House with the help of Campus Minister Liz Weigel on April 3, 2011. Four Saint Viator High School students led both drives.
This year’s campaign expanded into public and private offices, which was a significant milestone for EYEsee. The following municipalities hosted month-long collection drives: Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Palatine, Itasca and Elk Grove. Arlington Heights Memorial Library combined EYEsee’s month-long collection drive with its green program.
AT&T signed up for EYEsee’s campaign this year, and is presently winding down their collection drive in the Chicago-area as of press time. Classic Sunglasses in Barrington is EYEsee’s largest donor this year with 1,250 sunglasses donated to the campaign.
EYEsee also received eyeglasses donations from out-of-state donors, namely, East Alabama Medical Center (Alabama), University of the Pacific (California) and Auburn University Athletic Department (Alabama).
Mitch Morton, an Eagle Scout from Buffalo High School, collected 1,057 eyeglasses for EYEsee for his Eagle Award project.
Two optical clinics have continued their support of EYEsee’s efforts with donations to this year’s campaigns. They are Suburban Associates in Ophthalmology Diseases & Surgery of the Eye (Arlington Hts.) and Midwest Glaucoma Center (Hoffman Estates). The University of Chicago Medical Center also donated to this year’s campaign.
Other service organizations that have donated to EYEsee’s campaign this year are the Women’s Club of Arlington Heights and the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women. Many private individuals have mailed their donations of eyeglasses to EYEsee or dropped them off at Saint Viator High School.
EYEsee gratefully acknowledges the generosity of its many donors, sponsors and volunteers. They made possible the success of EYEsee’s ‘2011 Campaign.’
Classic Sunglasses Donates 1,250 Sunglasses to EYEsee’s ‘2011 Campaign’
Classic Sunglasses is EYEsee’s top donor for 2011, with 1,250 sunglasses donated to EYEsee’s ‘2011 Campaign.’ Janice Guzon, Founder and President of EYEsee, picked up the donation at Classic’s main office in Barrington, Illinois, on July 11, 2011.
In handing their donation to Janice, Thomas Longeway, President of Classic Sunglasses, thanked Janice for EYEsee’s work on behalf of the world’s poor and expressed his satisfaction that Classic’s donation of sunglasses will make a difference in the lives of many.
Classics’ donation of sunglasses will supply health missions to Marshall Islands and Micronesia in early 2012. For Pacific Islands people, vision-related conditions such as cataracts are a major public health problem. This is because exposure to sunlight and the high rate of diabetes can cause cataracts to form earlier than they do in the U.S. Sunglasses are a significant help in addressing the vision-related conditions of the people in these tropical islands.
In 2010, Classics donated over 700 sunglasses, which supplied health missions to the poor in Uganda, Honduras and the Philippines.
Physician for Peace’s Lists EYEsee as $25,000+ Gifts-In-Kind Partner on Its 2010 Annual Report
Physicians for Peace is an international non-profit organization that mobilizes volunteer healthcare professionals in the U.S. to assist developing nations with unmet medical needs and scarce resources. Since 1989 their volunteers have conducted medical missions in more than 60 countries. With its headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, Physicians for Peace has programs in 22 countries and offices in the Philippines and the Dominican Republic. Its ‘Seeing Clearly’ program reaches out to isolated communities with little or no access to vision care. Through vision exams and donations of prescription glasses, the gift of sight is restored to those who need it. Since 2009 EYEsee has partnered with Physicians for Peace to help people who cannot afford the cost of a simple pair of eyeglasses in the poorest countries in the world. In acknowledgement of EYEsee’s support of its ‘Seeing Clearly’ program, Physicians for Peace has listed EYEsee under the $25,000+ Gifts-In-Partner category on its 2010 Annual Report. View the 2010 Annual Report HERE.
EYEsee Supports PeopleWeaver's May 2011 Medical Mission to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo
The following is a report from Jeanne Ratzloff, President of PeopleWeaver on their May 2011 medical mission trip to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo:
Dear Ms. Guzon,
In May 2011 EYEsee donated 100 pairs of eyeglasses to PeopleWeaver to distribute to the people living at the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement. PeopleWeaver is a non-profit organization established to provide economic assistance, such as microcredit loans, to impoverished women in developing countries. Currently, our efforts are focused on the women refugees living in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda.
We traveled to Uganda in May. The eyeglasses distribution was a huge success. We scheduled the distribution to take place after our annual microcredit meeting. The meeting is attended by the women who have received loans, women who hope to receive loans, project leaders, community members and community leaders.
While the focus of our distribution was the microcredit women, we had enough glasses to also give to the people in the communities who needed them. Many people knew the magnification number they needed. For those who didn’t, we gave printed material and they tried on glasses until they found the best magnification for their eyes. The majority of people needed magnification of 1.25 to 2.25.
For the first time, we traveled to Bunagana in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to explore the possibility of giving microcredit loans there. This is the area many of the Kyangwali refugees we work with are from. We took about 20 pairs of glasses to Bunagana. We did not announce we had the glasses, but after giving a pair to one person, the word spread quickly and people started showing up at our door each morning and throughout the day. We were told people were coming days after we left.
There was a man in his 90s who tried on several pairs of glasses. After he chose the best pair for his eyes, he asked for one of our plastic bags and carefully put his glasses in it for safekeeping. I’m sure the glasses will be used for the rest of his life and, after his death, will be saved for someone else. After all the glasses had been distributed, the next morning a man came to where we were staying. When we told him we didn’t have any more glasses, he said he had walked miles. I was alarmed when he dropped to his knees pleading for glasses!
The overwhelming response to the availability of eyeglasses was a surprise to us. In the past when we’ve traveled to Uganda, we’ve taken a variety of needed items—such as birthing kits, vitamins, anti-parasite medication, Crocs, etc. Of all the things we’ve taken it’s obvious eyeglasses are desperately needed, greatly appreciated and one of the best uses of our limited baggage space.
Jeanne Ratzloff, PeopleWeaver President
EYEsee Supports June 7-14, 2011 Medical Mission to Honduras
The following is a report from Willie Cowan of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church on their June 7-14, 2011 medical mission trip to Santa Ana in Campamento, Department of Olancho, Honduras.
On behalf of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church and the people served by our sister parish in Honduras please accept our thanks for the reading glasses your organization provided for our June 7-14, 2011 mission visit to our sister parish, Santa Ana, in Campamento, Department of Olancho, Honduras.
Fr. Abelardo Huanaca, associate pastor of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, led a group of eleven pilgrims on this mission visit. This was St. Philip’s fifteenth mission visit with the Santa Ana parish. The primary purpose of this visit was to strengthen the bonds of friendship between our two parishes – which we did!
We distributed a little over 650 pair of reading glasses during our visit. Nearly all were sized and handed directly to people in remote and impoverished villages and communities. We obtained 600 pair from NW Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center and 156 pair from EYEsee - Vision for the World. An additional 50 or so were donated by St. Philip's parishioners. We also included approximately 100 pair of glasses left in Honduras from the 2010 mission visit.
We took reading glasses with us everywhere we visited—villages, small towns, communities, ‘a spot in the road’, as well as, a local senior’s center. We would find a convenient spot and set up our reading glasses distribution point—sometimes inside a chapel or other building and sometimes outdoors. We used a modified hand-held chart, converted into Spanish with numbers and symbols, to assess our ‘patients’ needs. Some of our pilgrims spoke Spanish and we were augmented by several Santa Ana church members.
We formally and informally set up shop around twenty times. As word got out, we also distributed reading glasses from our lodging area on the Santa Ana church property. In some cases we gave 3-4 pair of random sized reading glasses to a wife for her husband who was working in the fields. We figured that if he could not use them another family member or an extended family member could use them.
Throughout the week, the group participated in a variety of activities with the children, youth and adults of Santa Ana parish, as well as, four medical missions to outlying areas—most days were from sun-up to well past sun-down.
Our visit was full and our experiences were most moving. Our pilgrims experienced first-hand the people and culture of the Santa Ana parish community and also renewed and strengthened the connection and covenant relationship between the two parishes. These visits are a most graceful, life-changing experience of a lifetime.
The generous acts of so many of our parishioners and friends, enabled these pilgrims to take over 1,000 pounds of donated toys, hand-made clothing, new and used clothing, footwear, school supplies, rosaries, necklaces, assorted medicines, instant film, reading eyeglasses and religious items for their parish. These gifts were handed directly by our pilgrims.
The language barrier was not a problem—smiles are understood in any language. Pilgrims enjoyed the beautiful people, gorgeous scenery, time spent with fellow pilgrims and the local community, as well as tours of the local community, surrounding towns and landmarks. We attended worship at the church and in community chapels, we told stories, and enjoyed the smiles and love of new brothers and sisters. We saw a lifestyle very different from our own, yet realized just how similar our lives really are—our fears and concerns, our hopes and dreams, and the importance of relationships.
Thanks again for your support and may God bless you for your ministry and your generosity. We hope to work with you again next year.
Willie CowanCoordinator, Santa Ana Mission Visit 2011
June 21, 2011
For additional info about the Santa Ana Mission of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, contact (770) 478-1542 or mail St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, 591 Flint Rd., Jonesboro, GA 30238.
Eyesee Supports Physicians For Peace’s Various Medical Missions In 2010
Physicians for Peace is an international non-profit organization that mobilizes volunteer healthcare professionals to assist developing nations with unmet medical needs and scarce resources. Through effective, hands-on medical education and training, clinical care and donated medical supplies, Physicians for Peace develops long-term, sustainable, replicable, and evidence-based programs to help partner nations build medical capability and capacity to help themselves. Since 1989 volunteers have conducted medical missions in more than 60 countries. With its headquarters in Norfolk, Va., Physicians for Peace has programs in 22 countries and offices in the Philippines and the Dominican Republic.
In the developing world, faced with a dire crisis in health care, access to vision care and treatment is often a low priority. Yet in most cases, a standard vision exam and access to prescription glasses is all that is needed for a patient to see clearly, often for the first time in his or her life.
Through Physicians for Peace’s Seeing Clearly program, local eye care professionals are properly equipped and trained to provide comprehensive eye exams to underserved populations, where access to vision care and treatment is often a low priority. Patients then receive either appropriate medical treatment or a pair of donated prescription glasses.
In 2010, EYEsee donated 3,000 used eyeglasses to the Seeing Clearly so that it can continue to meet the vision needs of countries with scarce resources and great medical demand.
EYEsee Supports May 24 to 28, 2010 medical mission to the Macabebe City, Province of Pampanga in the Philippines
Dr. Jim Weyrich, Founder and President of EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc., reports on the foundation's 11th mission to the Philippines on May 24 to 28, 2010 in Macabebe City in the Province of Pampanga north of Manila. The foundation's 'Clinic on Wheels' reaches patients in rural Philippines. EYEsee has supported EyeCare WeCare’s missions to the Philippines with a donation of 2,000 recycled eyeglasses this year.
This was our 11th mission to the Philippines, and no doubt the most challenging medical vision mission ever for EyeCare WeCare Foundation and its 25 volunteers. During this mission, we crossed many islands by transporting EyeCare WeCare’s Clinic on Wheels in a ferry boat from the Visayas to the Luzon region. Together with 25 Filipino volunteers, we traveled more than 24 hours of land and sea combine.
The getting to the Luzon was one of the biggest obstacles that the Foundation has ever encountered. The quote that we received from the Super Ferry was nearly $10,000 US dollars round trip to transport the mobile clinic from Bacolod to Manila (Over 500 Nautical Miles) and the 25 volunteers. We considered crossing three large islands and taking three small ferry boats each way that probably take over 2 days and would be very hard on the mobile clinic to cross the mountainous Islands. It would be considerably less to do so somewhere in the $3,500 range figuring there were no repairs. We appealed to the Philippine Coast Guard to transport it for us. We are a 100% voluntary organization and operate on a small budget. At the very last minute (we are talking about 48 hours before we left), Negros Navigation informed us that It would help sponsor this medical mission and didn't offer to do it free, but it reduced the fare immensely and even surprised us by presenting a banner to the Foundation while we were waiting to board the Giant ferry boat.
We left Bacolod at 7:00 PM on May 23, 2010 and arrived in Manila at 6:00PM the mobile clinic was unloaded, we survived rush hour traffic in Manila and finally arrived in Macabebe around 9 PM. The mobile clinic was parked at the clinic site and the volunteers were taken to their great accommodations with Susan Bautista Damilao's family. The next 5 days would become historic. The fact that we were in on venue for 5 full days, we did not need to set up the mobile clinic each morning and tear down and move that night. It gave us as much as 3 hours more of clinic. The lunches our volunteers and the local volunteers were served at a Church next door. The meals provided the volunteers with energy to see around 300 patients per day. The meals and lodging for 5 days for 25 volunteers was also a very large undertaking. Susan Bautista Damilao was up for the task and exceeded all expectations. The Foundation and its volunteers are extremely grateful for the unbelievable hospitality and expense that the Damilao's provided EyeCare WeCare Foundation during the stay and the day following the medical mission.
A total of 1,411 patients received eyeglasses during this mission. We had lots of pictures that tell their own story. With every single medical vision mission there are several persons that are worth the complete trip in themselves and this medical mission was no different. The young man below came in one late afternoon and he was found to have around a -9.00 correction both eyes. I asked him where his previous glasses were, he replied that he had never seen an eye doctor because his parents were poor. He tried attending school, but never completed the first grade because he could not see anything that the teacher put on the board even if he sat in the front. The pictures of him before and after speak for themselves.
We made two trips to the Philippines this year, on January 11-20, 2010 (1,769 indigents received eyeglasses) and on May 24-28, 2010 (1,411 indigents received eyeglasses), bringing the Foundation’s total beneficiaries to 13,910 indigents for the last five years.
2010 Used Eyeglasses Collection Campaign nets nearly 7,500 eyeglasses.
2010 marks EYEsee’s second annual collection campaign in the Chicago-area, beginning January 30 and running through June 20. EYEsee founder Janice Guzon stated that the goals of the 2010 campaign are to support this year’s medical missions to the poor in the Philippines, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Haiti. This year EYEsee is also supporting a medical mission to Uganda.
In leading the roll-out of the 2010 campaign, Janice Guzon pointed out that this year’s campaign expands last year’s efforts with the addition of area Catholic elementary schools, optical clinics, campus ministry and Boy Scout projects to area churches and senior homes.
The campaign stretched to 20 weeks, including a two-week kick-off drive at Saint Viator in January. Thirty-eight Saint Viator students volunteered during weekend collection drives at 16 area churches. They manned EYEsee’s display table, passed out literature, answered questions from the public and received eyeglasses donations. Over 470 service hours were logged during this campaign. EYEsee volunteer service was acknowledged during worship announcements and priest homilies.
Sue Geegan, Director of Service, Justice & Peace at Holy Family Church adopted the 2010 campaign to the parish’s Lenten mission, enabling parishioners to donate eyeglasses throughout Lent. A total of 706 eyeglasses were collected.
Paula Irving of The Garlands of Barrington arranged another collection drive this year at the Garlands of Barrington senior home. Susan DeLano of the Geneva Foundation of Presbyterian Homes tied EYEsee’s week-long collection drive for the residents of The Moorings (Arlington Heights) to their ‘Earth Week’ celebration. A total of 163 eyeglasses were collected from these two senior homes.
Student councils of St. Emily Catholic School (Mt. Prospect), St. James Catholic School (Arlington Heights) and St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic School (Palatine) conducted their own collection drive in their schools and communities. They donated a combined total of 690 eyeglasses to EYEsee.
Suburban Associates of Ophthalmology (Arlington Heights) and the Clinic of Dr. David J. Tabak (Barrington) received donations of eyeglasses at their locations. A total of 389 eyeglasses were received from these clinics.
Northwestern University’s campus ministry opened its Sheil Catholic Center for a week-long collection drive in May. Chaplain Father John Kartje and Campus Minister Beth Knobbe warmly received EYEsee volunteers at their center.
Two Boy Scouts signed up to do eyeglasses collection as a project towards their Eagle Scout rank. Nick Sillchuck of St. Cecilia Parish (Mt. Prospect) and Mitch Morton of Buffalo Grove High School collected more than 160 eyeglasses.
2010 campaign received a significant boost from three large donations to EYEsee. Mr. Thomas Longeway, President of Classic Sunglasses in Barrington donated 700 sunglasses. The Office of Thomas Dart, Sheriff of Cook County (Illinois) donated 200 eyeglasses. Dr. Mildred Olivier, an award-winning glaucoma specialist and a Sacred Heart alumna handed more than 225 eyeglasses to Janice Guzon.
EYEsee also received over 150 eyeglasses from private and anonymous donors. The donations followed local media publicity about this year’s campaign. A feature article about EYEsee in the National Enquirer gave the 2010 campaign national exposure. Donations were dropped off at Saint Viator High School or mailed directly to the school.
A thank-you note sent with eyeglasses to Saint Viator student and EYEsee leader Chris Santucci sums up EYEsee’s work and mission: “Thank you for donating your free time to this cause. It is great to see young people giving back to their communities and helping others around the world who are less fortunate…”
EYEsee supports May 8-22, 2010 medical mission to Jinja, Republic of Uganda
The following is a letter from Pam Blanchard and the Good Shepherd’s Fold team on their May 8-22, 2010 mission trip to the Good Shepherd’s Fold Orphanage in Jinja, Uganda, East Africa. This medical mission was an outreach project by the Apples Chapel Christian Church in Gibsonville, North Carolina, and EYEsee supported it.
Dear Ms. Guzon and all the volunteers at EYEsee,
I wanted to write and express appreciation for the glasses we received and were able to take on our trip to Uganda in May. It was a very successful trip. We had three doctors, one a pediatrician which blessed the orphanage dearly as she was able to provide checkups to the 98 children who reside there. We also had three nurses and three lay people.
We arrived in Uganda 24 hours after we started our trip and were quite exhausted so the beds at our guest house were very welcomed. It is a three hour trip from the airport to Good Shepherd’s Fold Orphanage and we arrived to a grand welcome of singing, dancing, and many hugs all around. It takes a couple days to sort thru all the supplies, pick up new medicine in Jinja Africa and to arrange the church into a clinic. We had four days of clinic, we started on Wednesday and work 12 hours that day and the following Thursday and ten hours on Friday. Thankfully we had two days over the weekend to recover and to worship and share time with our missionary friends. Monday was our last day and when it was all said and done we had treated almost 1,100 men, women and children.
The glasses were a great success and desperately needed. We had purchased 50 different strength reading glasses and they were all gone within two days. The glasses your team donated were a little more complicated to hand out as we did not know the strengths of the glasses or the strength of the glasses each person needed. However the African people are very accommodating and appreciative of anything they get so they patiently tried on glasses until they found a pair that worked. The enclosed pictures show a young woman who came last year and we did not have any glasses that worked for her so it was a blessing this year for her to be able to leave wearing glasses in which she could see off into the distance.
We take so much for granted in the United States. We cannot see so we make an appointment with the eye doctor and within a few weeks we have glasses and our life goes on. The sunglasses were also a very welcomed relief as we had many older people with cataracts and the sun is very strong there so they would often get headaches and eye pain. We handed out all the sunglasses within a few days. All the glasses were left in the clinic at GSF and the nurse there will continue to hand them out over the next few years.
The enclosed pictures show some of the people who received glasses, the church where we have our clinics and some of the people who came and were seen. I would have liked to have gotten more pictures of people with their glasses but as you can see it was quite busy and left little time for picture taking.
Again I and the team and all the people at GSF wish to express our thanks to your group for collecting and distributing the glasses. Everyone deserves to be able to see as clearly as possible.
Sincerely,
Pam Blanchard and the GSF team
For additional info about Apples Chapel Christian Church, contact (336) 656-9853 or mail 7345 HWY 61 N, Gibsonville, NC 27249.
EYEsee supports June 22-29, 2010 medical mission to Campamento, Honduras
July 25, 2010
St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church in Jonesboro, GA, has a ‘sister’ relationship with Santa Ana Catholic Church in Campamento, Honduras. They have been conducting an annual medical mission to Santa Ana in the last 13 years. EYEsee was one of the three organizations that supported their 14th mission to Santa Ana parish this year. Below is an excerpt of the mission report by Willie Cowan of the Santa Ana Committee.
We distributed a little over 600 pairs of reading glasses during our visit. These reading glasses were sized and handed directly by our pilgrims to people in remote and impoverished communities served by the Santa Ana parish−most Hondurans in this area are very poor. We obtained over 500 pairs of reading glasses from three charities: 200 pairs from NW Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center, 250 pairs from New Eyes for the Needy, and 261 pairs from EYEsee - Vision for the World. An additional 150+ pairs of reading glasses were donated by St. Philip’s parishioners. We took these reading glasses with us every where we visited−villages, small towns, communities, ‘spot in the road’, as well as a local senior’s center. We would find a convenient spot and set up our reading glasses distribution point−sometimes inside a chapel or other building and sometimes outdoors. We used a modified hand-held chart, converted into Spanish with numbers and symbols, to assess our ‘patients’ needs. Some of our pilgrims spoke Spanish and we were augmented by several Santa Ana church members. We formally set up shop thirteen times. As word got out, we also distributed reading glasses from our lodging area on the Santa Ana church property.
This was a grace filled experience for all– pilgrims and locals. We were amazed when we were welcomed and joined by the communities during the many different activities in which we participated. The language barrier was not a problem—smiles are understood in any language. Pilgrims enjoyed the beautiful people, gorgeous scenery, time spent with fellow pilgrims and the local community, as well as tours of the local community, surrounding towns and landmarks. We attended worship at the church and in community chapels, we told stories, and enjoyed the smiles and love of new brothers and sisters. We saw a lifestyle very different from our own, yet realized just how similar our lives really are—our fears and concerns, our hopes and dreams, and the importance of relationships. Being part of this visit was definitely a life-changing experience.
To each of our reading glasses donors, thanks again for your support and may God bless you for your ministry and your generosity.
Student Council of St. Thomas of Villanova School Donates 209 Eyeglasses to EYEsee.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The Student Council of St. Thomas of Villanova School in Palatine, IL, led a two-month used eyeglasses collection drive in their school and parish on behalf of EYEsee. Norma's Coffee Shop also contributed to the collection drive. On Tuesday, April 6, 2010, the students dropped off two cases of 255 eyeglasses and 93 glass cases at Saint Viator. EYEsee gratefully acknowledges their donations.
Student leaders from several area elementary schools contacted Saint Viator High School late last year stating their desire to assist EYEsee with its mission for the world's poor. In response to their request and to help their collection effort, EYEsee held a planning workshop at Saint Viator High School on January 25, 2010 for student leaders from St. James Elementary School, St. Emily Elementary School, St. Zachary Elementary School, St. Thomas of Villanova Elementary School, and Our Lady of the Wayside Elementary School.
EYEsee Founder Wins National Award
Monday, April 5, 2010
EYEsee is proud to announce that its founder, Janice Guzon, has been selected by Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation as one of the 50 National Scholars in the 2010 Coca-Cola Scholars Program. Coca-Cola Scholars are recognized for their capacity to lead and serve, and their commitment to making a significant impact on their schools and communities. All 250 Coca-Cola Scholar Finalists for this year were invited to an all expense-paid Scholars Weekend on March 25-28, 2010 at the Coca-Cola's headquarters in Atlanta, GA, for a chance to compete for the 50 National Scholar Awards. The National Selection Committee which determined the top 50 Coca-Cola National Scholars was comprised of leaders in business, government, education, and the arts.
EYEsee supports January 15-29, 2010 medical mission to the Pacific island of Ebeye
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Jacque Spence, co-founder of Canvasback Missions, reports on their January 15-29, 2010 medical mission to Ebeye. Canvasback Missions, a non-profit organization located in Benicia, CA, has been providing medical care to the Pacific since 1986. They are EYEsee's partner on medical missions to poor in the Pacific.
Ebeye is a tiny Pacific island where over 12,000 people are crammed onto 80 acres. The success of this trip was the result of many people and organizations joining hands. Major companies like Alcon Labs, Abbott Medical Optics, and SEE International donated supplies and equipment. Matson Lines donated a 20-foot sea freight container to ship the supplies. 400 patients received donated prescription and reading glasses. Many of the glasses were donated by EYEsee (Arlington Heights, IL), which is staffed by Saint Viator High School student volunteers.
Charles Ahn. M.D. (Chicago, IL) led this two-week mission From January 15-29. He and six other team members performed 192 cataract surgeries and screened close to 400 patients.
Patients lined the halls to see the specialists. Many of the patients were totally blind from cataracts. They were led into the clinic and the next day, they were able to walk away by themselves. Many of our patients had dense white cataracts which is caused by diabetes and made the surgeries challenging. A good percentage of our patients also showed retinal damage due to diabetes. The number of surgeries that were performed exceeded expectations and extra supplies had to be shipped in.
This was Dr. Ahn's first medical mission. He said, 'We are so blessed and privileged in this country and I felt that it is our responsibility to use the skills and resources that we have to provide relief and assistance to those that are suffering . . . The patients didn't have much and were so grateful for the care they received. It was truly a privilege to be able to provide the care that we did for the people of Ebeye.'
Assistant Secretary of Health, Irene Paul, said, 'Canvasback did 192 surgeries-that would have consumed our budget. Many of us could not afford to have that . . . There is no other word than to say thank you.'
EYEsee conducts workshop for student leaders of area schools in the northwest suburbs.
Friday, January 29, 2010
EYEsee held a planning workshop for student leaders of area schools in the northwest suburbs at Saint Viator High School on January 25, 2010. This workshop was a new initiative by EYEsee, and was part of the kick-off activities for the roll out of EYEsee's 2010 Annual Used Eyeglasses Campaign. What started this program were requests from several student leaders of surrounding elementary schools who wished to be involved with EYEsee's mission by holding their own collection drive in their school. Mrs. JoAnne Francis, Director of Student Affairs at Saint Viator High School, paved the way for this program to be started at Saint Viator after presenting the idea to elementary school principals during her November meeting and receiving their positive response.
Student leaders from five elementary schools and a high school, along with their teachers and parents, attended the two-hour workshop. EYEsee founder Janice Guzon led the presentations and discussions on EYEsee's mission, organization, partners and past and present activities. Founding member Hannah Tibbetts produced a video for this workshop that gave participants the 'experience' of medical missions to some of the poorest areas of the world and where EYEsee is making a real difference in the lives of the poor. Mr. Tom Nall, EYEsee moderator, offered the framework of EYEsee's mission and work. Participants received EYEsee's playbook on how to run a successful used eyeglasses collection drive at the end of the workshop.
EYEsee acknowledges the participation of the following schools to this workshop: St. James Elementary School, St. Emily Elementary School, St. Zachary Elementary School, St. Thomas of Villanova Elementary School, Our Lady of Wayside Elementary School and Stevenson High School.
EYEsee supports January 11-20, 2010 medical mission to Negros Occidental Island in the Philippines
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Dr. Jim Weyrich, Founder and President of EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc., reports on the foundation's January 11-20, 2010 medical mission to the remote village of Calumangan, Negros Occidental Island, Philippines. The foundation's 'Clinic on Wheels' reaches patients in rural Philippines.
In December 2009, the foundation received a grant from Transitions Health Sight for Life Fund. Heavy duty springs and a stiffer suspension was added to the bus along with new brakes. Now it can clear boulders in the road that it could not clear before the suspension upgrade. By bringing the clinic to the remotest Barangays, the people who benefited the most were those who never had a pair of eyeglasses. A total of 1,769 rural poor underserved people benefitted from this mission. Among them, 133 people received free eye medications and 74 people were referred for cataract and pterygium surgery. There were 10 different venues during this medical vision mission all over Negros Occidental, ranging from Silay City, Bago City to the Town of Villadolid. The foundation has now provided 11,088 people with free eyeglasses since its first vision mission in 2005.
One of the thousands of patients named Helen Tambanillo had a neighbor helped led her to the venue at Purok Riverside, Barangay Tabunan, Bago City. She has been blind all of her life. On January 11, 2010, her life changed when she arrived at the big blue bus of hope. She was found to be a (minus) 18.50 diopter myope. That means, without correction, she is over nine times legally blind. When the doctor put a pair of trial lenses on her, she did not want to give them back. She was assured that she didn't want the trial frames and lenses, and that she has to have her own. When she received her new glasses and her vision was restored, all she could do was to cry. She cried for over 2 hours, she had all the volunteers, all of the indigents in line and even our bus driver crying like babies. To watch and listen to her description on what she was seeing, you would have had to have been there to capture the entire moment.
During the very last day of the mission, near the very end of the line, was a very pretty high school senior that never had a pair of glasses, and she was found to be a (minus) 7.00 myope. This means that what a normal person sees at 700 feet, she has to get up to 20 feet to see. Her vision problem was not as bad as Helen had, but the pair of eyeglasses she received is going to make a huge impact on her life and her future as well.
These are just two of the 1,769 people who by themselves were worth of all the efforts of entire medical eye mission. There are another 1,767 stories that we cannot one by one tell anymore. These are people who cannot even afford the transportation expense to see an eye doctor, let alone pay for the eye examination and certainly for frames and lenses. There were many medications given and some would have cost upwards of $100 per bottle. That would be over two months of wages for a family of five or more. Over 200 bottles of eye medication were dispensed to people with eye infections, glaucoma, eye allergies and eye inflammations. There were 83 people who were referred for cataract surgeries which will be done later by our partner "Resources for the Blind, Inc."
The nine days of clinic were long and grueling, but you hear no complaints from any of the Filipino volunteers. Most of them have accompanied the foundation on all of its missions. They know how to unpack the bus, set up for registration, pre-testing and dispensing of the eyeglasses. They have witnessed the gratitude of the recipients of the free eye services.
I really want to thank EYEsee for your donation last year that enabled us to get new tires for the bus and also the eyeglasses that you collected. We welcome all the recycled glasses that you want to send. It is our lifeline. We value our partnership with your organization. May God bless each and every one of you.
Sincerely,
James H. Weyrich, O.D.
Founder & President
For additional info about EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc., visit www.eyecarewecare.org.
EYEsee sets to support medical mission to the Republic of Uganda in Spring 2010.
Friday, January 8, 2010
The following is a letter from Pam Blandchard and Sheri Jones, congregational nurses of Apples Chapel Christian Church in Gibsonville, North Carolina. Each year a team of healthcare professional and lay people from this church conducts a medical mission to the African country of Uganda. This year they have scheduled their medical mission in May, and EYEsee is supporting their mission.
The mission trip last year was coordinated through Christ Community Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was a medical mission trip and consisted of 12 people. We had 5 nurses, a pharmacist and some lay people. We provided 6 days of medical clinics treating various medical conditions such as malaria, arthritis, childhood ear infections, HIV, syphilis, pneumonia and tooth abscess. We sent 3 babies to the hospital the first day and know that these children would have died had it not been for our clinic. We saw 300 people the first day and close to 1,000 in the 6 days we had clinic. The orphanage we worked at was Good Shepherd's Fold in Jinja, Uganda.
Last year we were able to take about 30 glasses that were donated to us from a local Food Lion. They were magnifier reading glasses and were given out within the first 2 days. The one story that stands out in my mind the most is an older gentleman that came in with the chief complaint that couldn't read his Bible. We were able to give him a pair of the reader glasses and he was excited to be able to read his Bible again. Unfortunately there were many we had to send away still unable to see or read as we ran out of glasses. We had a few older glasses donated by church members but these were not useful. I had to turn away a young mother about 24 years old who was obviously nearsighted as she could not see far away when tested but we had no means to provide her with any glasses. These people walk several miles from their villages to come to these clinics and we want to be able to provide as much help as possible while we are there.
We would greatly appreciate any help you can provide us. I am enclosing some pictures from the trip of the orphanage, the missionaries and the people who went on the trip.
Sincerely,
Pam Blandchard, RN and Sheri Jones, RN
Congregational Nurses
Apples Chapel Christian Church
For additional info about Apples Chapel Christian Church, contact (336) 656-9853 or mail 7345 HWY 61 N, Gibsonville, NC 27249.
EYEsee supports June 8-14, 2009 medical mission to Negros Occidental Island in the Philippines
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Dr. Jim Weyrich, Founder and President of EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc. reports on the foundation's June 8-14, 2009 medical mission to the Philippines:All medical missions are a story in themselves. This medical mission was no exception. We started way back in January to get sponsoring organization and venues on Cebu Island. It took until mid March to get a commitment from the South Mandaue Rotary Club to participate in helping host this mission. Rotary International, which has helped in the past with medical missions by giving us a Volunteer Service Grant, informed us that because of the financial crisis, they were eliminating the program.
In mid May the bus mechanic informed me that the tires of our mobile clinic were way bad to make the trip. The brakes needed to be replaced, the transmission needed work and the air conditioning was not working. I was informed that we needed to order parts for the transmission from Japan. Mitsubishi could not give us a time for the transmission parts so I made the decision cancel the trip to Cebu, wait until the bus was up and running then try to find some venues near our province that we have never been to and conduct the missions to salvage the trip.
I arrived in the Philippines on June 1. We were not able to start our medical mission because we were still waiting on parts for the bus, so I took the opportunity to stay over a couple of days and meet with our new partner 'Resources for the Blind'. What a wonderful Christian organization. They are a perfect fit. I gave them all cataract supplies that I have procured from Alcon Labs, and they were delighted. They, in return, will do 39 cataract surgeries that I diagnosed with dense cataracts from this medical mission.
I flew to the Bacolod on June 4th. We received the bus parts on the 5th. The mechanics had already replaced the brakes. The transmission was fixed on the morning of the 6th. We then had to buy the tires in Bacolod and bring them to our barangay because the tires were so bad that we couldn't drive the bus at all. We got the tires and put them on by that afternoon. The bus was now ready to go.
We started our medical missions on the 8th, 9th, 11th, 13th and 14th. We still ended providing graded eyeglasses to 1,131 indigents. We gave out over 150 bottles of medications, and as I stated have 39 patients with cataracts that will get the surgeries free.
The miracle is that none of these people were supposed to even be seen. I didn't know that we were going to be there. I thought that we would be in Cebu. We had so many inspirational stories that it would take many pages to do it justice. All I know that this was definitely GOD'S MISSION. Just look at all the pieces of the puzzle that just didn't fit. Then when the missions began, they flowed very smoothly and over and over there were people that were really aided with their new glasses.
You had been an integral part in this mission. Thank you members of EYEsee, thank you Saint Viator High School, and thank you Father Egan.
For additional info about EyeCare WeCare Foundation, visitwww.eyecarewecare.org.
EYEsee donates eyeglasses to Rugari Parish in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
On July 6, 2009, EYEsee donated 500 pairs of recycled eyeglasses to Rugari Parish in the Democratic Republic of Congo. EYEsee's donations were received by Jackie Griffin who served for 15 months as ground representative for Saint Anne Parish in Barrington during the negotiation and building of a new primary school and dispensary in Goma,
Democratic Republic of Congo. Jackie Griffin recently returned from her mission in Goma. She agreed to coordinate the shipment of the eyeglasses with Caritas Goma by way of Rwanda to ensure that the eyeglasses arrived safely and securely because of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Congo. The eyeglasses will be distributed through the Rugari Parish dispensary to those who are in need in the parish.In acknowledging EYEsee's donations, Jackie Griffin commented that, "eyeglasses are a big need in developing countries and Congo is no exception. I am excited to know we can use such a program to help our friends back there. I can't tell you how many people asked me for eyeglasses while I was there."
For additional info about Caritas Development Congo, visit http://www.caritasdev.cd/.
EYEsee supports June 2009 medical mission to Cumana, Venezuela.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
In June 2009, husband and wife team Wona and Doug Miniati, M.D., led a medical mission trip to Cumana, Venezuela. Dr. Miniati is a physician and an associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center.
At the conclusion of the Cumana medical mission, Wona reported to EYEsee: "...we gave away all but a handful of the glasses in just 2 days! They were overwhelmingly popular here. Word spread like wildfire that we were bringing eyeglasses, and people showed up in droves to try them on. It was so touching to see people's faces literally light up when they looked through a pair of glasses and could finally see! I'm sure you have seen that same joy and can appreciate how grateful people were."
For additional info about Caribbean Evangelical Missions, visit www.caribem.com.
EYEsee donates eyeglasses to EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc.
Monday, May 11, 2009
On May 9, 2009, EYEsee donated 2,500 pairs of used eyeglasses to EyeCare WeCare Foundation Inc. This non-profit, Christian, international organization is EYEsee's partner on medical missions to the poor in the remote islands in the Philippines. The foundation operates a mobile clinic ('Clinic on Wheels') manned by volunteers that provide free eye care, ophthalmic surgery, medication, and eyeglasses to the indigent people in the Philippines.EYEsee shipped two large container boxes directly to EyeCare We Care Foundation's mission outpost in the island of Negros Occidental in the Philippines. The donations were part of the total lot of eyeglasses collected by EYEsee during this years used eyeglasses campaign.
In acknowledging EYEsee's donations, Dr. Jim H. Weyrich, O.D., President and Founder of Eyecare WeCare Foundation, stated that "the foundation will use the donations to fund and supply medical vision missions for the rural poor in the Philippines. The foundation is scheduled to conduct another medical vision mission the first two weeks of June and the recycled eyeglasses that were shipped to the Philippines should arrive during the time that medical volunteers are there."
Dr. Weyrich thanked EYEsee's founder, Janice Guzon for the donations. He closed his letter with an acknowledgement that "EYEsee has been a great inspiration to all of us in our organization. To think that these are all high school students who have worked hours and hours to make a difference in helping others in developing nations. We have told the story of their commitment to individuals, organizations, and media in America and the Philippines. This has often brought tears."
For additional info about EyeCare WeCare Foundation, visit their website at www.eyecarewecare.org
EYEsee donates eyeglasses to Physicians for Peace.
Friday, May 8, 2009
On May 4, 2009, EYEsee donated 2,500 pairs of used eyeglasses to Physicians for Peace. This Christian, international, non-profit medical organization is EYEsee's partner to worldwide medical missions in over 50 countries.
EYEsee shipped the donations in four
container boxes to Physicians for Peace's headquarters in Norfolk,
Virginia. The donations were part of the total lot of
eyeglasses collected by EYEsee during this years used eyeglasses
campaign. In acknowledging EYEsee's donations, Kenneth R. Hudson, Gifts-In-Kind Manager, stated that the donated eyeglasses will be shipped to Haiti, Honduras, and the Philippines to support their 'Seeing Clearly' program to the indigents in those countries. Through this program, medical professional use sophisticated equipment to determine the prescription strength of donated eyeglasses and provide comprehensive eye exams to patients, who then receive either appropriate medical treatment or a pair of prescription glasses at no cost.
For additional info about Physicians for Peace, visit their website at www.physiciansforpeace.org/
EYEsee donates eyeglasses to Caribbean Evangelical Missions.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
On May 7, 2009, EYEsee donated over 100 pairs of used eyeglasses to Caribbean Evangelical Missions. This non-profit, Christian organization is EYEsee's partner with medical missions to the impoverished neighborhoods of the Caribbean countries, including South America, Central America, and the Caribbean islands.EYEsee shipped the donations to Caribbean Evangelical Missions' office in San Francisco, California. The donations were part of the total lot of eyeglasses collected by EYEsee during this year's used eyeglasses campaign.
Wona Miniati and her husband, Dr. Doug Miniati, M.D., will lead a medical mission trip to Cumana, Venezuela, in June 2009. Dr. Miniati is a physician and an associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center.
In acknowledging the donations, Wona Miniati, stated, "We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the supporters at Saint Viator High School as well as EYEsee, to make this venture possible. We know for certain that many people will be blessed to receive theses eyeglasses."
For additional info about Caribbean Evangelical Missions, visit their website at www.caribem.com.