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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Art Jenkyns used to say, “You can’t change the world, but you can change some people’s world.” As founder of Operation Eyesight, he did just that. And as a dedicated husband and father, he also made the world a better place for his family.

Art and his beloved wife, Una, had five children: Tom, Linda, Arleigh, Bill and Jim. “We kids were all really close, and we were all close to both Mom and Dad,” recalls their daughter, Linda.

Despite his busy schedule, Linda says her father was able to achieve a good balance between his work, family and faith. Sunday was designated as family day. They would play games in the backyard and simply enjoy spending time together.

The Jenkyns also planned a few weeks of family holidays each summer. “Mom and Dad loved to camp. They had a 9×9 tent with five kids and a dog, and we never stayed anywhere for more than one night.”

After summers of setting up and breaking camp, the Jenkyns found their new home-away-from home: a family cottage in central Alberta. Linda has many fond memories of their time out at the lake. “Dad loved the water,” she explains. “And he just loved to go out there and spend time with us.”

Art would often keep busy with chores, such as raking up weeds in the water or staining the deck, but he was happy to be around his family. He knew how to have fun, too; he’d play cards or games with the kids. Linda and her siblings still go out to the cottage, reminiscing about their father’s joy at being out there with them.

Art was also a romantic. He adored Una, to whom he was married for 62 years. “I remember the first trip my Dad made to India in 1968. My parents had never been separated before. Dad was away for a month and he wrote Mom a letter every day.”

Linda remembers going to pick her Dad up from the airport and watching him bolt through the door to see them. “The expression ‘joined at the hip’ was so true of my parents. Mom was his strength and his support, and he gave her credit.”

Art was quick to give everyone else credit, putting the needs of others before his own. “He was a man of deep faith who felt he was called to lead others,” explains Linda.

“He was encouraging and optimistic. He instilled in us the importance of giving back to the community and making the world a better place for those less fortunate.”

The Jenkyns family – which now spans four generations, with 11 granchildren, five great-grandchildren and twins on the way this fall! – will always remember Art as a loving and compassionate husband, father and grandfather.

“We miss him dearly,” says Linda. “He was one-of-a-kind. He always said he’d like to leave the world a better place, and he certainly did that.”

We would like to thank Linda for sharing her precious memories with us. We enjoy hearing such heartwarming stories about the man who founded our work. He truly was remarkable, and so is his legacy!

You, too, can help make the world a better place. This Father’s Day, please consider giving a gift in honour of the dad in your life and, by doing so, help parents in India and Africa. See our Gift Guide.

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Not only was I able to see our “founding family,” the Jenkyns family, honoured as the Outstanding Philanthropic Family by the Calgary chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, but I found myself overcome with warmth and gratitude towards the spirit of philanthropy in general.

Sitting in the large banquet room, surrounded by thousands of philanthropists, donors and peers, was humbling for me. There was so much generosity and community spirit in the room; so many people who volunteer their energy, time and money to causes meaningful to their hearts. It was revitalizing!

Over and over, I heard representatives from other worthy not-for-profits, including the food bank, ending homelessness, and cancer research, reinforce that they share with Operation Eyesight the desire to strengthen the community, to give back some of the many gifts we enjoy in our own lives, and to ultimately make the world a healthier, safer, happier place for all.

Our own guiding philosophy – “the best for the poorest” – may not be articulated in every organization, but I think it’s safe to say it is deeply embedded in our collective hearts.

Congratulations once more to the Jenkyns family and to all recipients of the Generosity of Spirit awards! On behalf of all of us at Operation Eyesight, thank you for all you do to make our world a better place.

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Art Jenkyns, who founded Operation Eyesight in Calgary in 1963, instilled a genuine caring for others in his five children and they have in turn, passed that along to their children. The focus of their giving is invariably the charity that was close to their father’s heart, and all of them continue to make donations and give their time.

In recognition of the Jenkyns family’s ongoing commitment, the members jointly have been awarded a Generosity of Spirit award for Outstanding Philanthropic Family. The award is bestowed by the Calgary chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in honour of National Philanthropy Day. The family will accept the award at a celebratory reception on November 15, 2013.

The award is really about Art Jenkyns, insists his daughter Linda. “My dad was a very special man,” she says. “He made every single person he ever met feel special, no matter what their contribution.”

It was that personal touch that made all the difference in the early days of Operation Eyesight. “He and my mom used to sign every thank you letter that went out. My dad talked to everyone he could about the charity that had become his passion in life.” By the time Art passed away at age 83, Operation Eyesight had grown beyond his wildest dreams.

Today, 50 years after its founding, the entire Jenkyns family is still deeply involved with Operation Eyesight. For Art’s children, Tom, Linda, Arleigh, Bill and Jim, and 11 grandchildren, Operation Eyesight is still close to everyone’s heart.

“When we get together for Christmas or birthdays, we gather donations for ‘our’ charity in lieu of gifts. Some family members attend AGMs; many have paid for cataract surgery for someone they will never meet; several have supported drilling wells and others help in the office. One family member particularly enjoys public presentation, much like her grandfather, but everyone is involved in some way.

“Operation Eyesight is in our hearts and it’s part of who we are.”

The staff and board of Operation Eyesight congratulate each member of the Jenkyns family on this significant recognition. We offer our warmest thanks for their ongoing support and commitment!

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