Maureen Bush is just one member of an Alberta family that’s been supporting Operation Eyesight across four generations.

The story begins with Ella Marcus, Maureen’s grandmother. Ella knew Dr. Ben Gullison, whose work inspired our organization. Her son-in-law, Gordon Bush, became a donor after he lost the sight of one eye from a detached retina. He treasured the cards he received from Operation Eyesight that told of another person’s sight restored – proof of responsible stewardship of dollars.

That’s a theme that continues to drive Maureen’s donations even today. “It’s hard to know how charities are spending their money,” she says. “My mom lived overseas and saw incredible misuse [of charitable donations]. That led me to being cautious about which organizations I donate to. I feel like I can trust what Operation Eyesight is doing.”

Maureen became a donor to Operation Eyesight during the 1980s and has been giving ever since. She passed that spirit of generosity on to her daughter Adriene, who has volunteered for us.

Thank you Ella, Gordon, Maureen and Adriene. Our work is possible because of people like you!

Tell us your story! We’d love to hear how and why you support Operation Eyesight.

The post Wow! Four generations of supporters! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

As an organization that relies on the support of Canadians in our mission to eliminate avoidable blindness, we are concerned by the cut to the tax credit for charitable donations in the 2015 Alberta provincial budget. We know that the generosity of Albertans won’t change, but it’s a worry that this will impact how businesses and organizations donate.

According to the Calgary Herald, the tax credit cut applies to all donations over $200, and the tax credit will be reduced from 21 percent of the donation, to 12.75 percent. The Herald estimates that this move will save the government of Alberta $90 million a year. Donations under $200 will not be affected.

At Operation Eyesight, good stewardship of donor funds is hugely important to us, so we understand the move by the government to set Alberta on a healthier fiscal path. But that $90 million is money that won’t be going back to the province’s most generous individuals, organizations and businesses, at a time when taxes and fees are also increasing.

For example, a donation of $1,000 in 2016 (above the $200 threshold) will result in a combined federal and provincial tax credit of only $417.50. This is a reduction of $82.50, compared to the $500 tax credit that a donation of $1,000 would have received in 2015.

We are concerned that this will affect not just Operation Eyesight’s work, but all non-profit and charity organizations that fundraise or operate in Alberta, and that the most needy, be they here in the province, or elsewhere in the world, will be the ones who are most impacted. We know our supporters donate because they want to give the gift of sight, not because they want tax savings, but the tax credit makes the decision to donate much easier.

This move reverses an Alberta tax credit increase that came in 2007, when the tax credit jumped from 12.75 percent to 21 percent. We hope that the tax credit cut is just a temporary measure, and we urge the provincial government to restore the 21 percent tax credit as soon as is fiscally possible.

Have questions? Contact your Alberta MLA.

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We Canadians are a generous bunch. We want to help. And given the expense of prescription eyeglasses and how necessary they are for many of us to see, it’s natural that if we have an old pair, we want to donate them to be passed on to someone in need.

But Operation Eyesight no longer collects eyeglasses, and hasn’t since 2003.

That doesn’t stop people from mailing them to us, showing up with boxes full of them, or leaving a bag of them on our doorstep. It’s actually not helpful; we’re forced to throw away all the old pairs that we receive.

Here’s why. In order to be useful, a pair of eyeglasses needs to be fitted via a professional eye exam. To make use of an existing pair, we’d need to find someone with that exact prescription. Anything else requires a person to accept eyeglasses that don’t help them.

And it’s very time-consuming and difficult to match a person’s prescription to an existing pair of eyeglasses. Their vision might even be harmed if they are wearing eyeglasses that are not a perfect match for their prescription.

Providing eyeglasses to those in need is still vital to our approach. Here’s how we do it. Every Indian and African hospital we work with ensures that each patient who needs glasses gets comfortable, modern, NEW prescription glasses.

Those who can’t afford the cost (the equivalent of $2 to $4 in most locations) have those costs subsidized by local customers who can afford to pay for more expensive frames.

Some people may think “Used eyeglasses are still useful! Why don’t you try and use them?” In addition to the difficulty of matching used eyeglasses, there are also compelling economic reasons. It’s actually less expensive for us to buy locally-made eyeglasses for distribution in the countries where we work, than to collect, sort and ship used eyeglasses overseas. In fact, India no longer allows used eyeglasses into the country, as they interfere with their own eyeglasses industry.

So please, don’t leave your used eyeglasses at our door. We appreciate your generosity, but we can’t use them. And if you’d like to help in another way, please consider clicking here to donate $20, which can provide new, custom-fitted prescription eyeglasses for up to three people in Africa or India. Imagine their happiness at being able to see clearly!

The post Thanks – but no thanks – for used eyeglasses appeared first on Operation Eyesight.