Vision Source Reaches Fundraising Milestone of $500K - Press Release

KINGWOOD, Texas (October 6, 2015) –North America’s largest, independent optometric alliance Vision Source, announced today that the network has reached a fundraising milestone in its Million Dollar Campaign benefitting (OGS). Through the generous donations of member optometrists, patients, employees of Vision Source, and matching funds from Essilor, the 2015 giving campaign total now exceeds $500,000.

Vision Source has set forth the goal of raising $1,000,000 by August of 2016 in order to help underwrite the building of Haiti’s first optometry school, l’Université d’Etat d’Haiti is a country with a population of 10,000,000 people and only three optometrists. The Vision Source Million Dollar Campaign will provide a significant part of the funding required to launch a school that will make a difference. Haitians will soon have the ability to receive education that will change the sight of the nation for generations to come.

The diverse network of independent Vision Source optometric practices support (OGS) in a variety of meaningful ways. Many practices donate monthly, some host fundraising events centered around World Sight Day, and others participate in missionary trips. The fundraising effort will continue throughout the year in order to reach the $1,000,000 goal.

Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of Vision Source commented, “Optometry Giving Sight has been the Vision Source charity of choice for many years. This year, we have mobilized our network to build the school and related vision clinic. Raising $500K even before World Sight Day is an amazing testament to the selfless hearts of our clinicians.”

"The Million Dollar Campaign is proving to be a great way for Vision Source leadership, staff and members to take the World Sight Day Challenge and support the development of the first ever school of Optometry in Haiti," said Clive Miller, CEO of Optometry Giving Sight. "We are delighted to see all the friendly competition between the regional teams. The team leaders in Kingwood are once again proving to be extraordinarily creative and we are very confident that we will reach the $1 million goal by 31 December."​

Founded in 1991, Vision Source is North America’s largest network of independent optometrists consisting of nearly 4,000 members. The clinicians in the Vision Source network enjoy access to newly evolving patient channels, including an expanding list of leading medical groups and integrated health systems with whom Vision Source optometrists collaborate. Additionally, members benefit from a wide range of innovative technologies, practice management tools, strategic marketing, and unsurpassed purchasing power. Leveraging these tools, the clinicians offer comprehensive eye care to their patients delivering an industry leading patient experience. For more information, call 888-558-2020 or visit www.visionsource.com.

About Optometry Giving Sight
Optometry Giving Sight is the only global fundraising initiative that specifically targets the prevention of blindness and impaired vision due to uncorrected refractive error (URE) – simply the need for an eye examination and glasses.

It was established in 2003 by the World Council of Optometry, the Brien Holden Vision Institute and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness as a means of mobilizing support from the global eye care profession and industry to help eliminate the backlog of people who are needlessly blind or vision impaired – currently estimated at more than 600 million worldwide. It is a registered charity in the USA and in Canada.

Optometry Giving Sight funds the development of sustainable eye and vision care projects in communities where these do not currently exist. These projects focus on local training and capacity building; infrastructure development and the delivery of accessible and affordable vision care services.