The World Sight Day Challenge is Optometry Giving Sight’s main fundraising campaign of the year to help eliminate avoidable blindness and impaired vision in underserved areas of the world. We are pleased to report that a record number of optometry practices, companies and students participated in the Challenge in Canada this October.
Donations are currently pouring in, and the final results will be reported early in the New Year. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who participated or donated. You are giving sight and hope to many people in need! You are also helping us inch closer to our global goal of raising $1 million.
Company Challenge: The Company Challenge in Canada saw 8 companies pledging support through employee donations and/or fundraising activities this year. Our thanks to WestGroupe, Essilor, Hoya Vision Care, Carl Zeiss Vision, FYidoctors, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, CooperVision and Younger Optiks for their participation – to the many other companies that made their annual donation.
Student Challenge: Preliminary results are in for some of the participants in the Student Challenge, which was an overwhelming success this year for the University of Waterloo and the University of Montreal optometry students who raised a record $7,258.66 and $10,005.91 respectively! Both schools held a ‘Dining in the Dark’ fundraising event with silent auctions for donated items including laser eye surgery gift certificates generously donated by Lasik MD and TLC Laser Eye Centres. Optical technician students at Cégep Garneau and the University of Calgary Pre-Optometry Club also participated this year.
Classic Challenge (Optometry Practices): Many wonderful amounts are being remitted from optometry practices across Canada. We are starting to hear of some of the many creative fundraising events that took place in FYidoctors, OSI, Eye Recommend, Vision Source and independent optometry offices throughout October. Here are just a few of them:
- Staff members of Waterfront Eyecare in Penticton BC held a flashmob at their local farmer’s market to raise awareness and invite donations.
- Killarney Vision Services in Killarney MB held their second annual ‘Dining in the Dark’ event, with staff members volunteering as servers for the meal to blindfolded participants.
- Victoria Vision Eyecare in Victoria BC held a variation of an icebucket challenge where patients could make a donation to vote for whether Dr. Hildebrand, Dr. Webster, or Michael (business manager) at the office would get an icebucket dumped on their head.
- Family Eyecare Centre in New Westminster BC held a ‘mobile’ bakesale, taking a wagon full of home-baked goodies around to all the businesses in the mall they reside in.
- Optical Image in Swift Current SK held a variety of events, with the added incentive that if $5000 was raised, Optician Trent Tallon would shave his head, and if $10,000 was raised, Dr. Sasha Godenir would shave her head.
Our sincere thanks again to everyone who participated in the Challenge. If you haven’t yet made a donation, please add your support today and help us reach our goal. All donations are tax deductible.
