Comments from World Sight Day Challenge 08
Read more comments from participants of last year's World Sight Day Challenge by either scrolling down the page or clicking the links below.
United States | Australia | Canada | United Kingdom
United States
Dr. Dennis Dombrowski, of Dombrowski Eye Associates in Lancaster, PA.
“We’ve supported Optometry Giving Sight for a few years. The World Sight Day Challenge is a great way to bring our support and our passion directly into our practice and to our patients. When I think about how many people that have been given sight thanks to our donation, I am wowed. I want my patients to get that same feeling—they, too, can help give sight.”
Dr. Heather Hickson of Elite Eye Care in Arden, N.C.
“What we really appreciate about Optometry Giving Sight is that we are supporting an organization that is helping to create affordable and accessible eye care services in countries where these do not currently exist. In many developing countries access to an eye examination and a pair of glasses can literally mean the difference between a life of poverty and a life of opportunity.”
Dr. Thomas Wong, President of the Maryland Optometric Association
“We all live in a global world now. It’s important not just to give back to our country, but to support all countries of the world as best we can. Giving back and providing state-of-the-art care to other countries is giving back to ourselves as well. It can only come back and help us in the long run.”
Australia
Andrew Avramides from Specsavers Chatswood, NSW.
“We had great fun on World Sight Day with a kid’s face painter and balloons and posters decorating the practice. My staff spent most of the day laughing. Participating in the World Sight Day Challenge was not only great PR for the practice but it was fantastic to be able to give something back and to show our local community that we’re not all about making money. I donated my eye exam fees, we asked our patients to make a donation for screw adjustments and we raffled a pair of sunglasses. It was a lot of fun giving out balloons and kids loved the face painting.”
Micheal Knipe from Total Eyecare, Hobart, Tasmania
“We made a one-off donation in addition to our monthly financial support and staff and optometrists wore WSDC t-shirts and invited patients to make a donation. One of my colleagues, Andrew Koch, spoke on local radio and to staff at the Essilor Laboratory. Andrew Maver, Andrew Koch and I have spent a total of five weeks in East Timor this year on Optometry Giving Sight supported eye care programs.
"The World Sight Day Challenge is a fantastic opportunity for optometry to show our commitment to giving sight – not just to our own patients but also to people in the developing world.”
Sue Strachan, Strachan Eyecare, Blackburn & Balwyn, VIC
“We had a great World Sight Day, all the staff wore their World Sight Day Challenge t-shirts and we had posters and balloons up in the practice. The donation box was on the counter and patients were encouraged to make a donation.
“It was a good, fun way to promote a worthy cause!
“We will definitely take part in the World Sight Day Challenge next year; our commitment to Optometry Giving Sight is ongoing and we continue to donate $2 from every pair of glasses sold throughout the year.”
Canada
“Well, we got involved in WSD again and were very pleased with the staff enthusiasm, positive patient response and uptake on the messaging that those glasses we so often take for granted are simply not available for so many millions of people. It's such an easy, painless and relatively inexpensive 'cure' to ones' improved productivity and well being!! I think that both, yesterday’s patient experiences and newspaper article, will help raise awareness of this noble cause.”
Dr. Len Koltun, Regina, Saskatchewan, President of the CAO
“Our main local newspaper published a big article on second page this week. We had a great day! We wore our T-shirts (I even permitted jeans for the occasion), decorated, got donations for food and coffee from local grocery store and Tim Horton’s. I challenged my staff to raise as much money by Oct. 31st as I did today. I set up huge posters detailing our progress in the clinic and it is working; they have almost already reached their goal (they are now up to 800$… not bad for a staff of three). They are now aiming at beating my total!
Thanks for your help and ideas in the kit… it was easy to set everything up, our patients think the world of us for getting involved and the whole office is buzzing with new energy and enthusiasm.”
Dr. Geneviève Raby, Alexandria, Ontario
“Yet again we had a great time chatting to patients about the World Sight Day Challenge and Optometry Giving Sight last week. At first glance it looks like we raised over $1000, but are continuing our efforts until the end of the month. “
Dr. Kirsten North, Nepean, Ontario, Vice President of the CAO
"Participation in the World Sight Day Challenge benefits everyone involved! We received newspaper and radio coverage, staff members were eager to work as a team, our patients were really enthusiastic, and above all we raised a lot of money for charity!"
Dr. Darren Wagner, Brooks, Alberta
“We really enjoyed the fundraiser and we got some great positive publicity out of it! And all our staff wore t-shirts. We already look forward to next year’s Challenge”.
Dr. Meghan Ashton, Vernon, British Columbia
“When we learned how only $5 could bring "better vision & vision care" to citizens of the world, we knew this was a program that was worth supporting and introducing to our patients. We loved this World Sight Day opportunity so much: we will be doing it bigger and better next year in Wortley Village!”
Dr. Christina Schropp, London, Ontario
"The World Sight Day Challenge was a fun, easy way to raise money for a cause we believe in. Our staff got involved with T-shirts and balloons which helped create a buzz in the office. We even had a patient donate $2000 to this worthy cause! We will definitely participate again next year!"
Dr. Kevin Hesterman Red Deer, Alberta
"The University of Winnipeg Pre-Optometry Club was proud to support such a deserving cause as World Sight Day Challenge '08. A modest contribution of $5 a month, the cost of a beer or latte, provides a third world individual with vital eye care services. Give the gift of sight!"
Leigh-Anne Gillespie, Winnipeg Student Ambassador
United Kingdom
Harsh Shah, Eyewise, North Hillingdon
“I decided to get involved with raising funds for Optometry Giving Sight by taking part in the World Sight Day Challenge as I felt it would enable me to indirectly reach out to many hundreds and thousands in the less privileged societies, in a similar way that I provide eye care to my patients by helping them make the most of their eyes and eyesight, thus improving their quality of life.”
“My staff and I have thoroughly enjoyed the build up to World sight Day - and we will repeat this again next year, perhaps do it even better!”
Mohamed Kasmani, Feltham Eyecare, Feltham
“The day was a fun packed day and all the staff wore traditional dress. It was unbelievable how patients were so willing to donate towards the World Sight Day Challenge. They absolutely loved that we were giving something back. We were able to raise £250 on the day and agreed to match the same amount and donate it to Optometry Giving Sight.”
“To us the World Sight Day Challenge is important because we feel that it is the right of all people to have access to eye care, especially in countries where it is not accessible like it is in the UK.”
Bob Chappell, The Eye Practice, London
“In my view, Optometry Giving Sight offers an unprecedented opportunity for members of my profession to make a coordinated and significant impact in the prevention of blindness. It is hard for us living here to grasp that just £2.50 can provide an eye exam and a pair of glasses in many developing countries. I’m delighted that our practice was able to raise £780 in support of the World Sight Day Challenge.”
To read World Sight Day Comments from 2007 click here
