From the mouths of babes

Written by Admin, published on November 5, 2013 Donate Today

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find myself needing inspiration. Those of us in Operation Eyesight’s Calgary headquarters are oceans away from our programs and projects in Africa and India. Thanks to meetings, email and other distractions, some days, it can be easy to lose sight of why we do what we do.

Kare holds a walking stick from Africa, which is used to lead blind people around safely.

Luckily for us, we have the good fortune of finding inspiration from another source – our donors. Let me tell you about a young lady we met last week who gave us all the inspiration we need.

Kare is a grade four student at Strathcona Tweedsmuir School just outside of Calgary. She and her mom, Lola, visited our office on Halloween to learn more about Operation Eyesight. She was happy to meet costumed staff members, and asked great questions about our work as we feasted on a tasty potluck lunch.
Kare learned about our organization from Mrs. Hendricks, her music teacher, and was especially curious about what happens after we receive a donation.

Why? Because she was wondering how the $420 (yes, you read that right!) that came from her birthday party would be put to work. You see, to celebrate her recent ninth birthday, this generous, thoughtful child asked for donations to Operation Eyesight instead of presents!

“I would feel bad if I was blind and people cared more about presents than me being blind,” Kare explains. Kare’s friends and family responded generously.

When our Philanthropy team explained that her donation could go toward whatever she chose, she was thrilled. Without skipping a beat, Kare said she wanted to help other children.

We were thrilled to have Kare and her mom with us for our Halloween staff potluck! Can you spot her in the crowd?

As you can imagine, her family is very proud. “Kare is learning that it’s not all about self. She’s learning to think about how she can bless and impact the lives of others,” says her mom, Lola.

Not only will her generosity change the lives of children in Africa and India, but she’s filled up the “inspiration tanks” of all of our Calgary employees. Isn’t it incredible to think that philanthropy can start at age nine… or even younger?! Thank you, Kare! Keep up the great work.

Interested in learning how you can use a special occasion to raise support for Operation Eyesight? Take a look at this information.