Tomorrow, we in Canada and many other countries around the world observe Remembrance Day. It is an important memorial, as we look back on the valiant sacrifices made by our many brave veterans.

Remembrance is a powerful theme at Operation Eyesight. We look back and have much to honour. We remember Art Jenkyns, our founder, who made Operation Eyesight his life’s work, and in doing so saved and restored the sight of many millions. Art worked tirelessly to promote Operation Eyesight, and we still frequently receive messages and notes from donors who remember meeting him.

We also remember Dr. Ben Gullison, our inspiration. It was his plea for funding to help the many needlessly blind that launched “The Ben Gullison Club” that would become Operation Eyesight. It was his small hospital in Sompeta, India that became Arogyavaram Eye Hospital, which today has become self-sustaining and provides services such as eye exams, cataract surgeries and much more. And it is his guiding philosophy of “The best for the poorest” that we still strive to achieve.

If we remember these remarkable men, we must also remember the people who made – and continue to make! – their missions possible, our donors. Because of your support, we have done so much since 1963. Everything we have accomplished, from Arogyavaram Eye Hospital to the new Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer, is thanks to you. We could not do it without you selfless generosity. We can’t say it enough; we love our donors! Thank you!

We also remember how far we’ve come. When Operation Eyesight began, mass cataract surgeries were the main model of restoring sight to people in need, and while this process did restore vision to many, it relied on a constant flow of money, medical equipment and staff from developed countries.

Today, Operation Eyesight has embraced an innovative model of Community Eye Health to create permanent eye health facilities t

hat will be financially self-sustaining. Through this model, we can truly eliminate avoidable blindness, and we are doing just that!

Do you want to help us in our mission? You can. The easiest way is to give is the gift of eyeglasses. A $20 gift in our Gift Guide can restore vision to up to three people who could not otherwise afford brand new, custom-fitted, sight-restoring prescription eyeglasses. By giving this gift, you’ll help transform the lives of people in India and Africa!

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Dr. Gullison was born in Yarmouth, N.S. He studied medicine at Acadia University and Edinburgh University, specializing in surgery and midwifery and later doing post-graduate work in the treatment of leprosy.

He had a deep connection with India, having spent 10 years there as a child with his missionary parents. He returned to India with his wife Evlyn as part of the Canadian Baptist Mission and arrived in the town of Sompeta in 1935, a time when there were no roads or electricity and the hospital was a one-room thatched-roof hut. The Gullisons channeled their energy into building a new facility, later named Arogyavaram Hospital.

As the years went on, Dr. Gullison became increasingly concerned with the number of destitute blind he encountered. Eyes were not his speciality, so he invited ophthalmologist Dr. John Coapullai to join the staff at Arogyavaram. The two later estimated that 200,000 curable blind people lived within 320 kilometres of the hospital. Thanks to funding from an American charity, they began offering free cataract surgeries.

Then disaster struck. After two years, the charity ended their funding. And so, in 1962 the Gullisons returned to Canada to seek support for their hospital.

In Calgary, Dr. Gullison met Art Jenkyns, who created the “Ben Gullison Club” to raise money. The humble Dr. Gullison disliked the name, but he couldn’t argue with the group’s success; they raised enough money for 148 cataract surgeries that year. At Dr. Gullison’s request, the group renamed itself “Operation Eyesight,” and by 1970 was raising enough money to take over total financial responsibility for Arogyavaram Eye Hospital, which had become a dedicated eye facility.

Dr. Gullison retired from the hospital in 1969, and in 1980 he was awarded the Order of Canada for his many achievements. In 1984, he took up a role as honorary president of Operation Eyesight with these words: “Let us press forward, reaching out to what is ahead – that many thousands more destitute blind men, women and little children may receive freely the priceless gift of sight.”

Operation Eyesight is the shared legacy of Art Jenkyns, our founder, and Ben Gullison, our inspiration. We are still pressing forward and reaching out towards Dr. Gullison’s vision of a world without avoidable blindness. Just as we remember his contribution, we also remember our donors, who are making Dr. Gullison’s dream a reality. Thank you!

Want to learn more about Dr. Gullison and Art Jenkyns? You can find more about them and their huge impact on our story here.

The post Remembering our inspiration: Dr. Ben Gullison appeared first on Operation Eyesight.