Mountain View Optometry are fundraising through the month of September and October for the right to universal eye health.
The local business will be working with an organization called Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) that was established in 2003.
According to OGS, it were started as a means of mobilizing support from the global eye care industry to help eliminate the backlog of people who are needlessly blind or vision impaired – currently estimated at more than 600 million worldwide.
It funds the development of sustainable eye and vision care projects in communities where these do not currently exist.
Kaila Pharis is an optometric assistant at Mountain View Optometry in Cochrane and is organizing their fundraising effort.
Pharis said they have already had a barbecue and are running a 50/50 draw until Oct. 9 and a silent auction until Oct. 31.
“Everybody deserves to be able to have good vision and see the world how it’s supposed to be seen,” said Pharis. “We raise money to send over equipment and glasses and to do eye exams overseas in third world countries. Every $5 raised gives someone an eye exam and a pair of glasses.”
People can purchase 50/50 tickets at the office located in Cochrane (404 1st St West) or at the Crowfoot location in Calgary. Items for the silent auction are in store and also posted on their Facebook page where people can bid.
Pharis also said that on Oct. 9 they would be participating in World Sight Day – an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. It is in its seventh year.
Not only will they be announcing the winner of the 50/50 this day, but also they will be having a bake sale. All of the doctors at both locations will be donating all of the money from their eye exams from that day towards the fundraiser as well.
The campaign goal for 2014 is to raise $1 million globally.
For more information visit facebook.com/MVOptometry or mvopt.ca.
