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.

If you live in Campbell River, BC, you might open your mail one day to find a greeting card and gift from an enthusiastic Operation Eyesight supporter… even if you don’t know him personally.

For the past 30-plus years, Don McIver has celebrated local milestones by giving friends, strangers and organizations like Rotary and church groups a tribute gift from Operation Eyesight: a cataract surgery that will restore the sight of someone in a developing country.

“I like the idea of giving,” he says. “My wife Joan and I were hooked from the first time we gave that gift. To think that two people with no medical capabilities could give the gift of sight to people in far-away countries… it was the best thing we could do for anyone.” He hopes the recipients, in turn, like the idea and choose to give themselves.

Don volunteers for a number of local events, including the Campbell River Dance, film festival and Christmas craft sales. He sets up a table offering what he calls “eye cards,” greeting cards from Operation Eyesight that fund cataract surgeries in Africa or India. Many people contact the organization to purchase the cards, and at least one couple bought all their Christmas gifts through Operation Eyesight, thanks to his promotion.

Don is pleased that additional good is resulting from his steady volunteer schedule. “I’m always happy when we can give more cataract surgeries. Thirty dollars won’t do much for us here, but we can make such a difference in another person’s life by giving.”

As a father and grandfather, Don recognizes the difficulty presented by being blind in a developing country. “It’s difficult enough to raise kids here in Canada. But imagine when a mother loses her vision, or a husband loses his job. Imagine when children are born with congenital cataracts.”

Don regularly reads SightLines newsletters and watches the videos that offer a glimpse of lives impacted by generous donors. He has worked with the community television station to air Operation Eyesight videos, further helping to share the organization’s story with a wider audience.

Long retired from his work in a local pulp and paper mill, Don now enjoys being outside as much as he can. He himself recently had cataract surgeries, and is now doubly appreciative of healthy eyes.

“There are so many nice things in nature to enjoy,” he muses. “What pleasure we have from eyesight!”

The post Thanks to you: Don McIver appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Here are some of the memorable mothers we’ve encountered in the past few years. Click on the images to see a bigger version of the photos, or read about their stories and our programs in the places they live.

May 13 is Mother’s Day. It’s not too late to send an eCard to your mom, grandmother or spouse. Celebrate her with an eCard and a meaningful gift that honours her and helps mothers in India and Africa.

The post Mothers make a difference in the world appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

“Giving is integrated into our corporate culture,” says Annapolis’ president and CEO, Peter Williams. “We started out in a simple way, but we’re certainly evolving. We want to make a difference in the world.”

For the past few years, instead of buying holiday cards or gifts for its investor companies, Annapolis has been purchasing symbolic gifts of eye surgeries from Operation Eyesight. Not only do Annapolis’ clients receive notifications from Operation Eyesight telling them holiday gifts have been made in their names, people in Africa and India benefit from this generous gesture. Peter says he has seen these letters posted on recipient company bulletin boards so that all staff can share in the spirit of giving.

In the summer, Annapolis hosts an annual golf tournament, and Peter seizes the opportunity to showcase the corporation’s philanthropic interests to its clients.

“We want to set an example to our investor companies and show leadership in giving. This raises other giving possibilities,” he says. “We have a huge amount of confidence that others will see donating as the right thing to do.”

Peter learned about Operation Eyesight’s mission to eliminate avoidable blindness while attending a philanthropic luncheon a few years ago. He was inspired when he heard a husband and wife describe their longstanding relationship with the organization.

“I heard a wonderful story from a couple who said that although they had a modest income when they were first married, they still wanted to make a difference. They set aside $10 per month for Operation Eyesight in order to give one individual the gift of sight. Then throughout their lives, when they were able to give more, they increased their level of giving. That story really touched me, and it never left me. I was impressed with how they took their giving to the next level when they could manage it.”

After taking that model to heart, Annapolis Capital is well on its way to becoming a champion of corporate generosity. As Peter says, “Our view is to share the spirit of giving, and what better way to do that than by helping other human beings?”

Read more about the spirit of philanthropy in our recently published Report to Donors, which celebrates the ways Operation Eyesight’s donors have made a dramatic impact in the lives of children, women and men in Africa and India.

The post Thanks to you: Annapolis Capital appeared first on Operation Eyesight.