Did your new year’s resolution actually start on February 1? (I’ve seen all the “February is the new January” posts in my Facebook newsfeed.) If so, Operation Eyesight has great ideas to help you achieve your fitness and lifestyle goals!

Often people resolve to lose weight or get in shape, and that’s easier to do if you have a specific goal to work toward or event to look forward to. That’s where we come in.

Many of our donors organize runs or hikes to raise money for Operation Eyesight. They make a plan, set a fundraising goal, and tell their friends and family all about it, which is a great way to create a network of supporters to help keep you motivated.

So if you’re looking to get fit – and want to have fun and support a great cause while doing it – be sure to check out our Fundraising Toolkit. It has everything you need to get started: brochures, activity ideas, posters, sample emails and more.

You can even create your own fundraising page online, making it easy for you to collect donations and keep your supporters updated on your progress. You can personalize the page with your messages, photos and videos. Get creative with it!

And if running or hiking isn’t your thing, why not try something else you enjoy? You can walk, ski, swim, jump rope, bike, Zumba or even hopscotch. The sky’s the limit!

We can’t organize the event for you (we wouldn’t want to steal all the fun), but we will cheer you on every step of the way! And once you’ve achieved your goal, we’d love to hear all about it so we can share the great news with our friends on social media. We may even feature your story in our newsletter.

The best part about all of this is not only will you be achieving your personal goal, you’ll also be helping others achieve theirs. In giving others the gift of sight, you’ll be providing them with the opportunity to do all the things they enjoy again; you’ll be giving them hope for a brighter future. What an incredible difference your actions can make!

We look forward to seeing what 2016 has in store for you. If you have any questions, or if you have ideas you’d like to run by us, just give us a call. Thank you for your support, and best of luck with your resolutions!

The post Improving your health and theirs appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Last month, Brad and Jennifer Diggens raised over $4,300 for our well programs in Zambia through their Hike for Life fundraiser. The father-daughter duo hiked for six days along the La Cloche Silhouette Trail, a challenging 93-kilometre backpacking trek in Ontario’s Killarney Provincial Park.

Jennifer explains: “On our toughest days, there were only two things that got us through: thinking about our supporters and thinking about the people in Zambia who must make difficult walks every day just to get water.”

This is the third year in a row Jennifer and Brad have hiked in support of Operation Eyesight. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for them next summer!

Back in 2013, Dean Loewen and his team from the Mechanical Contractors Association of British Columbia (MCABC) also supported our water projects in Zambia. Their Run for “Well”ness, in which each runner ran the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon or 5K, raised enough money to drill four wells in Zambia’s Sinazongwe district. These wells are providing communities with clean water and preventing the spread of the blinding eye disease trachoma. Thank you, MCABC!

On July 30 this year, ultra-runner Norma Bastidas completed the Badwater® 135, the world’s toughest foot race, in Death Valley, California. She ran 135 miles (217 km) through extreme heat and intense elevation changes, all in support of Operation Eyesight.

“I have never worked this hard for a race,” says Norma. “But I knew the further I went, the better off someone else would be.”

Norma raised over $17,000 for Operation Eyesight’s programs in India and Africa. Thank you, Norma. And congratulations!

We’re extremely grateful to Norma, Brad, Jennifer, MCABC and our staff who are supporting Operation Eyesight in creative ways – and who are inspiring others to do so, too! If you’re interested in organizing a fundraising event, please check out our Fundraising Toolkit. We have everything you need to get started.

Remember, you don’t have to be a professional athlete to organize a fundraising event. You can run marathons and climb mountains if that’s your passion, but you can also organize a walk, swim laps, rollerblade or even skip to raise money. And if physical activity isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other fun activities that you can try. Visit our website for ideas. 

For more information, email events@operationeyesightindia.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

The post Going great distances for others appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

All of us at Operation Eyesight are very excited to be participating in this annual event for the first time. Our goal is to raise enough funds to be able to declare 10 villages in India free of avoidable blindness! What this means is that anyone in the village who was suffering from unnecessary blindness, or was at risk of going blind due to preventable causes, will be treated. To make this happen, we are calling on your support to help us raise $11,050.

The more money we raise together on GivingTuesday, the more people we can help! Please donate or organize a fundraising event, and help us shine a light on the issue of avoidable blindness. And don’t forget to tag your social media posts and tweets with #GivingTuesday and #OperationEyesight!

Together, we can give back to the global community. Together, we CAN eliminate avoidable blindness!

The post Let’s SEE what we can do together! appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

“We’re called the pretty church on the ocean, but we’re more than a pretty church,” says Jan Volker, chairperson of St. Francis-in-the-Wood’s Social Concerns Committee. We could not agree more! The church, located in West Vancouver, BC, has been supporting Operation Eyesight for almost 25 years.

“We really believe in Operation Eyesight’s projects,” says Jan. “The work you do is sustainable. You get involved in the communities where you are, teaching people while you’re there, and we value that.”

A few years ago, Dan Parlow, chair of Operation Eyesight’s Board of Directors, met with Jan and the rest of the committee. Jan says the meeting gave them a personal connection with Operation Eyesight. “The fact that an organization would take the time to do that was very meaningful to us,” she explains.

Jan says that the work Operation Eyesight does to restore people’s sight also strikes a chord with the congregation because everyone’s eyesight changes as they age.

The church committee, a small group of seven, is a creative bunch – planning everything from bake sales and silent auctions to garden tours and yoga classes. Their biggest fundraiser of the year is the “Auction of Promises,” where people in the congregation promise to do something for the winning bidder.

“People can’t wait for the auction each year,” says Jan. Participants have dinner and try to outbid each other for items such as accommodations in Whistler, BC for the weekend, homemade dessert every month for a year, flamenco dance lessons or a crabbing trip for six people.

“It’s incredible what people come up with,” adds Jan. “Some of the items sell for a couple thousand dollars!”

The post Thanks to you, St. Francis-in-the-Wood Anglican Church appeared first on Operation Eyesight.