“We learned that patience is very important to handle kids of this age group,” laughs Jyotsna, one of the volunteers from Sagility Health. Smiling, she adds, “the kids were amazing, and they were cooperative, and the event went really well.”

The screening was part of our corporate relations programme, which invites companies to financially support eye health initiatives and provides their employees with the opportunity to participate in programme delivery.

In this case, volunteers from Sagility Health helped organize the excited children into queues, documented the students’ information, and held up the “Tumbling E” eye charts – standard tools used when screening young children for eye conditions. Members of the ophthalmic team from the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) were on hand to conduct a more thorough screening on any child identified as having potential vision problems.

In a single day, 16 children received prescriptions for eyeglasses and another three got referrals for further diagnosis at LVPEI. All the children took part in an eye health education session, which included instruction in eye exercises and diet.

In addition to helping with the screening, the Sagility Health volunteers also made donations to cover the cost of the prescription eyeglasses for the students who needed them.

Over the past decade, we’ve been developing a range of school eye health programmes, both in India and in our other countries of work. The idea is to train teachers and volunteers to conduct or assist with eye health screenings right in the classroom. This means we can screen more children, and helps us make sure that girls, often overlooked for eye health care, are getting the same access as their male counterparts. Finally, by reaching out to children, we can help them and their families become familiar with the eye health care available to them, empowering them to seek eye treatment in the future.

Our Head of Resource Mobilization Subhadip Bhattacharya, who organized and attended the event, says he looks forward to facilitating more volunteer projects like this one.

“The energy from the students was palpable,” he says. “They were so excited to participate in the eye screenings. Likewise, the volunteers from Sagility Health had a great time and learned a lot about eye health. This is the first time they participated in a student eye screening volunteer programme, and their enthusiasm was notable. It’s a win-win for us when we can provide eye health screenings to children while also offering an exciting employee experience to our corporate partners.”

Two of the volunteers say they were touched by all the students clamoring for their attention and addressing them as ‘teacher’. “We are feeling very happy,” they say, “We are recollecting our school days.”

To learn more about our corporate relations program, visit: operationeyesightindia.org/corporate-relations

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In 2015, volunteers personally called 1,700 donors and hand-wrote over 1,500 “thank you” cards! Because of them, we’re able to reach out to you, our donors, more often and manage administrative tasks more effectively than would otherwise be possible. This means that ultimately we’re able to bring in more dollars for our cause and give the gift of sight to more people in need.

A heartfelt thank you, volunteers, for donating your time and talent to Operation Eyesight. Together, we’re doing great things – for all the world to see!

If you’d like to learn more about volunteer opportunities in Calgary, contact Blaire at macnicolb@operationeyesightindia.org.

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This week is National Volunteer Week – a time to recognize, celebrate and thank Canadian volunteers. Operation Eyesight is fortunate to have a large group of wonderful volunteers who help in our head office in Calgary – many of them on a weekly basis. One of our dedicated weekly volunteers is Mona Soyland.

Mona first heard about Operation Eyesight at a social gathering. No longer able to work full time due to a medical condition, she was hoping to find an organization to volunteer with on a casual basis – and Operation Eyesight was just the place she was looking for!

“Volunteering is a way for me to contribute to society while I’m not working,” she says. “And Operation Eyesight is a great place to volunteer. Everyone’s welcoming and they make me feel like I’m part of the family.”

Since she started volunteering in January 2014, Mona has come to understand, believe and promote Operation Eyesight’s mission to eliminate avoidable blindness. Her volunteer support includes making donor thank you calls, updating the database, conducting research, working in booths at festivals, and even taking photos and editing videos.

While she has a knack for the more creative tasks, she enjoys helping in any way needed. “I like to look for the challenge and try new things,” she says. “If I want to learn, the staff are always there to answer my questions.”

Mona is a virtuoso when it comes to donor thank you calls. Her kindness and enthusiasm is enough to brighten anyone’s day.

“I’m always interested in why people donate to Operation Eyesight,” she explains. “I love hearing their stories, and I can usually tell on the phone if someone is going to be talkative or not.”

Donors often tell Mona that they appreciate Operation Eyesight’s careful use of donation money. “Operation Eyesight is a great organization that uses its funds wisely,” confirms Mona.

Mona says she would definitely recommend volunteering at Operation Eyesight to others. “It’s a great opportunity for those looking to challenge themselves,” she explains. “You can explore your limits from the office, or you can get involved with the festival side of things. And the best part is, the hours are flexible.”

Mona also volunteers with her condominium board, and she recently signed up to assist the visually impaired through the new “Be My Eyes” smartphone app. In her spare time she enjoys photography, watching movies, socializing with friends and travelling.

Thank you for being “part of the family,” Mona. We’re grateful to have compassionate and talented volunteers like you.

Happy Volunteer Week to all of our office volunteers: Alisha, Anita, Anjali, Jason, Jie, Joe, Joseph, Jueping, Laurie, Linda, Norma, Shreya and Sylvia. Also “thank you” to our youth club members, our school committee volunteers (Lisa and Sylvia) and our many festival workers!

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At Operation Eyesight, we are so grateful for our volunteers. Today we want to say “thank you” and “happy birthday” to one of our wonderful volunteers, Sylvia Constable!

Sylvia – who just celebrated her 72nd birthday yesterday! – has been volunteering with Operation Eyesight since she retired from nursing seven years ago. She visits our head office in Calgary every week to help fold tax receipts, write thank you cards and do filing as needed.

“Operation Eyesight is a very good organization to volunteer with,” says Sylvia. “I’ve always found everyone friendly and welcoming.”

Sylvia has been a loyal supporter since Operation Eyesight’s inception 50 years ago. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Calgary when Art Jenkyns, our founder, invited Dr. Ben Gullison to speak to their group about his work in Sompeta, India. It was Sylvia’s very own church that pledged money to support Dr. Ben’s initiative, setting the wheels in motion for what would soon become Operation Eyesight.

Sylvia always knew she wanted to volunteer for Operation Eyesight once she retired. “I like the way it’s set up,” she explains. “It’s small enough that you feel you’re a vital part of what’s going on.”

With her medical background, she has a soft spot for the work Operation Eyesight does to restore people’s sight and make their lives easier. While she recognizes that her work as a registered nurse here in Canada was more structured, she says that working out in the field as a community health worker takes a special person. “I understand that they have to be flexible,” she explains. “I admire the people that do it.”

Sylvia has lived and worked in Calgary, her hometown, for most of her life. She currently lives here with her 14-year-old cat, Sadie.

Sylvia also volunteers as a Catholic pastoral care worker at the Salvation Army Agapé Hospice and as a Eucharistic minister for St. Pius X Church, taking communion to patients and parishioners when they can no longer attend mass. And as if that were not enough, she volunteers weekly for the Belvedere Parkway School reading program.

“I like meeting people and doing things that matter, and you get that with volunteering,” she says.

When she’s not volunteering, Sylvia enjoys hiking, biking and travelling. Nowadays, she goes on short-haul trips but she’s travelled extensively to places like Great Britain, Sweden and Norway in the past.

We’re honoured to have such a passionate, thoughtful woman on our team of volunteers. Thank you for all that you do, Sylvia! And happy National Volunteer Week to all of our volunteers next week!

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