We love hearing from our donors and learning why and how they support Operation Eyesight. Many of our donors have struggled with poor vision in the past; they understand just how precious the gift of sight can be, and they’re dedicated to ensuring others can have their vision restored too.

Leila, from Toronto, ON, has been supporting Operation Eyesight for 20 years. She first read about our sight-saving work in the newspaper, where a photo of a blind bricklayer trying to support his children really tugged at her heartstrings. Wanting to do whatever she could to help, she began selling home-cooked lunches at her office every Friday, donating all proceeds to Operation Eyesight.

Leila, who has had bilateral cataract surgery herself, says, “There’s nothing like having your eyesight.”

“Operation Eyesight’s doing a good job,” she says. “Our donations are working for what they’re supposed to.”

James, from Calgary, AB, has also seen and experienced the effects of vision problems. His grandmother was diagnosed with cataracts in her 80s when surgery wasn’t feasible, and his grandfather suffered from glaucoma with no solutions available to him.

Years later, James and his late wife, Joan, both also ended up with cataracts. Fortunately, they were able to have surgery to restore their vision.

James, now 91 years old, has been supporting Operation Eyesight for over 30 years. He says he’s always admired the work of our founder, Art Jenkyns, and knows just how much of a difference we can make in the lives of others by restoring their sight.

Thank you, Leila and James, for giving the gift of sight others. And thank you for sharing your stories with us!

Tell us YOUR story! Contact us today.

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Don was a chaplain at the Canadian Forces Base in Kingston, Ontario. When the chapel was looking for a project to support, Don proposed they support Operation Eyesight because he believed in our work and valued our sustainable approach to working with communities. The Canadian Forces Protestant Chapels has donated a remarkable $800,000 since then!

“It just goes to show that one person in the right place at the right time can make an incredible difference,” says Don.

Don had the opportunity to meet both Dr. Ben and Art. He remembers the time Dr. Ben visited the chapel and attended Don’s sick aunt. “He was someone who obviously loved people,” says Don. “He was such a gentle and caring man.”

Don’s appreciation for our work deepened when he himself had cataract surgery. He remembers his awe at being able to see twigs on the trees again.

He says, “Operation Eyesight is doing excellent work and needs to be supported.”

We’d like to thank Don, Sylvia and the Canadian Forces Protestant Chapels for their generous support. Together, we continue to make an incredible difference in the lives of others!

Tell us your story! We’d love to hear how and why you support Operation Eyesight. Comment on our blog or email info@operationeyesightindia.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

The post From the 1960s to today appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

We celebrate the generosity of every donor, and there are many who deserve recognition! One whom we would like to celebrate is Elizabeth Stevens Stuart.

Elizabeth was born in 1907 in Osgoode, Ontario, and passed away there in 2011, at age 105. She was one of our treasured lifelong donors, who began giving to Operation Eyesight the year we were founded, 1963. A member of the Baptist Church, she knew Dr. Ben Gullison, whose work in India inspired Art Jenkyns to found Operation Eyesight.

During her long life, Elizabeth earned a master’s degree with honours in mathematics from Queens University, enjoyed a 37-year teaching career, and at the age of 81, returned to school to master working with computers to assist in her tireless work as genealogist and local historian for the Osgoode Township Historical Society and Museum, whose creation she spearheaded.

In addition to her many accomplishments, we remember Elizabeth for her generosity. Operation Eyesight was just one of 12 charities that she supported, and during her lifetime she gave us nearly $10,000. She gave us a similar amount as a legacy gift after her passing.

When a volunteer called her in 2006 to thank her for her support, she told us, “I’m thankful that I still have good eyes so I can still drive.” She was 99 at the time. We all hope to be in such good health at that age!

Legacy donors like Elizabeth make huge contributions to our work. Their generosity and foresight benefit many people in developing countries who otherwise couldn’t afford or reach quality eye care. We’re so thankful that Elizabeth was our donor, and we can’t help but be inspired by her resolve to make the world a better place!

If you would like more information on how you, too, can leave a legacy gift to Operation Eyesight, please visit our website or call Susan at 1-800-585-8265. Thank you!

The post Remembering Elizabeth Stuart appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Sonya Soh, a student at Queen Elizabeth High School, shares her story below. Thank you, Sonya, for your inspiring words and for your club’s dedication to eliminating avoidable blindness!

In the past five months, my peers at Queen Elizabeth High School and I have learned so much through the operation of our own school club, Knights for Sight. Through fun meetings and various events, we’ve not only strengthened our bonds of friendship but have also come to truly sympathize with individuals plagued with vision problems worldwide. This growth in our companionships and compassions would not have been possible without the amazing opportunity Operation Eyesight presented us through their youth committee.

I first began this remarkable journey as a lone, timid student among a crowd of unfamiliar youth in Operation Eyesight’s board room. At this first meeting, I felt intimidated by the task before me: to spread word of Operation Eyesight’s cause and work. How could I, the only student there from Queen Elizabeth High School, possibly make a difference for Operation Eyesight and the millions of people they strive to help?

My first attempt to resolve this was to suggest a fundraising idea to an existing club within my school. They rejected it. I then turned to a more daunting idea: start my own club.

Starting Knights for Sight was not an easy task; with a month of begging my friends to join me, I barely gathered six people. We planned a simple bake sale, then moved on to a unique cataract simulator game and continued on with a couple more food sales. Along the way, Knights for Sight somehow more than doubled in number, and its determination grew beyond my dreams.

To be honest, some part of me still questions whether I have truly made an impact on even a fraction of the people affected by avoidable blindness around the world. But I know my peers and I have tried. We have taken initiative, we have been courageous enough to attempt something we never thought we were capable of attempting, and we have been dedicated.

What exactly Knights for Sight has done for the people suffering from vision problems worldwide, I cannot say in fact. But I sincerely hope we have given these people clean water and the workforce needed to sustain their health and facilities for generations.

In truth, it is possible that those affected by avoidable blindness have done more for the youth of Knights for Sight than we have for them. These people have inspired Operation Eyesight’s work. They have, by extension, made us realize that our daring endeavors are more than worthwhile, as they may bloom into something more magnificent than we could ever have imagined.

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Sonya. And a big thank you goes out to all the “Knights for Sight” at Queen Elizabeth High School! 

To organize a fundraiser at your school (or workplace), visit our website.

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