Christian Labonte was thinking about what to do with his high school finance club, Capital Minds, during the summer of 2024. He was headed into grade 12. That summer, he had taken a one-week intensive finance course at Bentley University, in the United States. “I had an idea for a stock competition,” he says. At the time, he was volunteering with Operation Eyesight’s fundraising team in Calgary, and inspiration struck. “I thought, why not do it with fundraising?” He found a free software platform and set up a one-month mock stock exchange with a peer-to-peer fundraiser link from Operation Eyesight. He then set out to gather interest from sponsors and students.   

Interest grew quickly. When Christian set up an Instagram account for his finance club, the Centennial Finance Club followed it. At first, Christian thought the club was from a Calgary high school; however, he says they “got to talking and I realized they were in Southern California.” The Centennial Finance Club had registered a non-profit to try and connect high school financial clubs from around the United States. They welcomed the Capital Minds Club into the 15 Club Federation, and Christian invited club members to participate in Invest for Sight.

In all, 55 students from across North America took part. Christian says he embraced the peer-to-peer aspect of fundraising by “really encouraging everyone to get their families and friends to support them.” Sponsors provided $1,000 in prizes for students for various challenges, such as submitting the top investment strategy. Together, the students raised $5,018.  

Fundraising hones leadership skills and contributions to the global community

The experience of setting up a fundraiser helped Christian learn skills and experience he will use throughout his student life. “Fundraising is a good opportunity for students to experience leadership at their young age, and it helps in giving initiative to their passion. You develop skills when you develop a project.”

Christian had to manage the fundraiser, stay on top of grade 12 schoolwork and incorporate activities and sports. “I became way more efficient at managing my time and activities – and it really kept me driven in what I was doing,” he says. “At university, there’s so much more schoolwork and extra-curricular activities. Fundraising is a great thing for young high school students to do." The initiative will be noted on his application for university finance programs in the United States.

Peer-to-peer fundraiser appreciated

Robyn Wilson, our Manager of Donor Relations, says, “We are thrilled to have worked with Christian over the summer and are deeply grateful for his remarkable talent in both fundraising and building connections. Through his efforts, Christian not only secured financial support to bring people the gift of sight but also inspired and engaged his peers, helping us connect with the next generation of supporters.”

Thank you, Christian and team, for your creative support! Interested in organizing your own peer-to-peer fundraiser? Learn more at operationeyesight.com/fundraise. 

While most Canadian schoolkids would have a hard time finding Ghana on a map, the West African country truly came to life for donor Sharon Margison when she was 10 years old. That year, her mother, then president of the Toronto YWCA, developed a close friendship with a young Ghanaian woman named Sika (also known as Barbara) who had come to Canada to study. Sharon’s mother encouraged her daughter to think of Barbara as a big sister, and that relationship continues today, more than 60 years later.

In 1982, Sharon and her mother travelled to Ghana to meet up with their old friend. During that visit, they were made family members.

“I just always found the people very welcoming,” Sharon says. “I really enjoyed talking with people and learning about their experiences.”

When Sharon heard that we were launching a new campaign to raise funds to screen 23,000 schoolkids in Ghana for eye conditions, her interest was piqued. Beyond her personal connection to the country, Sharon had another reason for taking interest in child eye health – she too has struggled with refractive error since she was in grade school.

“I’ve been wearing eyeglasses since I was nine years old,” she says, “and I studied visual arts during my undergraduate degree. So, vision is a huge thing for me.”

Sharon has generously decided to make a $10,000 contribution towards our Ghana School Eye Health project. She says that as a longtime donor, she has confidence in Operation Eyesight’s approach to community eye health.

“I like the fact that Operation Eyesight contributes to things like cataract surgery and also the delivery of education around good healthcare practices to avoid blindness and eye diseases,” she says, adding, “I also like how it trains locals to go out and educate people in their own communities.”

We are so grateful to Sharon for kicking off our Ghana School Eye Health campaign with her donation. We invite you to join her in transforming young lives!

Garage sales, bake sales and bottle collecting – these are just some of the ways that Gwendolen Crowe, and her husband John, raised money for Operation Eyesight during their many years as donors.

Although both are no longer with us, their legacy of giving continues today. When Gwendolen passed in 2020, she left our organization a generous gift in her will. It was a decision she and John, who passed away in 2019, had thoughtfully made together.

Born in Leicester in the United Kingdom in 1931, Gwendolen (or Gwen, to her friends) was known for her lively spirit and love of performing. She and John moved to Canada in 1957, settling in Vancouver where she became a mainstay in the area’s theatre scene, acting, singing and directing for various theatre companies, all while working full time at CIBC and later at the BC Children’s Hospital. One of her favourite roles was dressing up as Mrs. Claus, with John playing Santa, for the kids at Vancouver’s Ronald McDonald House.

“She liked to laugh, she liked to bring joy to people,” says Gwen’s close friend, Jane Marynowski. “And I think this whole thing about her charities that she was so attached to, was she knew she was bringing joy to other people’s lives. That was important to her.”

In her late sixties, Gwen took a trip to India to see some of our projects in person. She travelled with Marilyn Gullison, daughter of Dr. Ben Gullison, whose work in India inspired our founder Art Jenkyns to start Operation Eyesight.

Although she was already a world traveller, the trip had a profound effect on Gwen.

“I think she found travelling in India to be a little different than her usual travels,” says Jane, who heard a lot of stories about that trip from Gwen, even decades later. “I think that really strengthened this attitude of gratefulness that she had. What she saw over there really did have an impact.”

Today, Gwen and John continue to make their own impact on people across the globe with their generous final gift, which will help us prevent blindness and restore sight for years to come. We are grateful to Gwen and John for their thoughtful, loyal support over the years!

Have you ever considered making a donation in your will? Learn more about Legacy Giving.

Having undergone cataract surgery himself, Vijay Verma knows just how important good vision is to quality of life.

“The gift of eyesight is the best thing you can give to anybody. It just changes their whole world,” he says. “You can make donations for food and things like that, but it disappears after two days. Eyesight stays forever.”

The longtime donor first heard about Operation Eyesight as a member of the India Club of Vancouver. The group raised more than $100,000 for our programs over the years through annual walkathons in Stanley Park, with Vijay overseeing the event during his years as club president.

Supporting Operation Eyesight has also been a family affair for the Vermas, with Vijay’s wife, Shiksha, and their three grown children all involved in fundraising activities. Now, a third generation is also making a difference. In the past few years, two of the Verma’s grandchildren raised $575 apiece through online fundraising campaigns.

Thank you, Vijay and family, for your incredible support!

Audrey Wilson, 88, first learned about Operation Eyesight from an uncle who attended a talk given by Dr. Ben Gullison, whose work in Sompeta, India inspired Art Jenkyns to start our organization in 1963.

“Nearly six decades ago, that meeting planted seeds that have grown into a lifetime of giving,” Audrey recalls. “It was one of the first charities I gave to, and I still give today.”

Audrey’s passion for supporting our mission eventually led her to travel to India in 2000 with Dr. Gullison's daughter, Marilyn Gullison, who had spent much of her childhood in Sompeta.

“We travelled across the country in what looked like a school bus to many different hospitals and surgical camps where Operation Eyesight’s work was in action,” Audrey says. “We saw patients being picked up and transported to their procedures and even observed a cataract surgery.”

Audrey says the journey to India left a lasting impact on her.

“Great compassion and commitment was shown by all,” she says. “Operation Eyesight is still doing great work, and that’s why I continue to give.”

Learn more about Operation Eyesight's history here.

Thank you for your incredible support, Audrey!

“There would be no life without eyesight,” says Vinit, the proud father of twin girls, Ayan and Vyan.  

Last summer, Vinit and his wife Anchal learned that their baby girls were born with Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). Together, the family has faced a challenging journey, witnessing the incredible growth and resilience of their precious daughters.  

ROP is a serious eye condition that affects premature and low-birthweight infants and is the primary cause of childhood blindness in this demographic. Vinit and Anchal know just how frightening ROP can be. 

In June 2022, during her seventh month of pregnancy, Anchal gave birth to twin girls in Moradabad, India. Both babies weighed just three pounds and were breathing rapidly. They were rushed and admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to receive treatment for lung infections.  

While in the NICU, the doctor treating the girls recommended that they both undergo screening for ROP at the C.L. Gupta Eye Institute, our partner hospital in Moradabad. Following the screening, both girls were diagnosed with severe cases of ROP. 

Vinit and Anchal had never heard of ROP before, nor did they have any idea how severe the condition can be. They feared their children wouldn’t be able to see. After the girls’ diagnoses, the doctor guided Vinit and Anchal through the screening process and showed them images of their daughters’ conditions. 

There are five stages of ROP and treatment no longer works in the last two stages, ultimately resulting in childhood blindness. However, if identified and screened within one month of pre-term birth, ROP in stage three is completely treatable. This is why early detection is critical. 

From the outside, nothing appeared wrong. However, when Vinit looked at the screens, he saw the severity of ROP. Both Ayan's and Vyan's screens showed blood leaking inside their eyes. The doctor explained to the parents that if the girls didn’t receive timely treatment, they would have further complications and possibly lose their vision.  

At just five weeks old, both babies received treatment at the C.L. Gupta Eye Institute. They underwent injections in both eyes, followed by laser treatment later on. Now, Vinit and Anchal take their daughters for regular monthly checkups at the hospital. 

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the early diagnosis and treatment provided by local doctors, both girls have fully recovered and are thriving today. 

Vinit and Anchal are grateful to Operation Eyesight and the C.L. Gupta Eye Institute. "Every parent hopes the best for their baby and that they are well and grow properly," explains Vinit. "The hospital has made things very easy. Otherwise, there would be no life without eyesight." 

We began addressing ROP three years ago in the Moradabad District of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. A local team now regularly visits 40 maternity centres in the area to examine preterm newborns, and the screening programs are working.  

As of June 2023, the program, known as “Born Too Soon”, has screened 253 premature babies, of which 49 were diagnosed with ROP and provided treatment. That is 49 infants who have had their sight preserved thanks to early intervention.  

You can help expand our Born Too Soon program and ensure more families like Vinit's experience a life free of avoidable blindness.

Please donate today.

The power of the Gift of Sight is something Rob and Connie both learned early in life. It is part of a legacy of giving that now spans four generations.

Connie’s parents, Walter and Sara Derewianchuk, were active donors to Operation Eyesight, and they shared with their children the power of giving. Likewise, Rob’s parents, Bill and Nora Holland, were also Operation Eyesight donors. For both families, early memories of Dr. Ben Gullison, the physician who inspired Art Jenkyns to found Operation Eyesight, left lasting impressions. Connie remembers him standing before the congregation at her family’s church in Emerson, Manitoba, discussing Operation Eyesight’s work.

“I was in the front pew as a child, listening to Dr. Gullison speak. While he spoke, my younger sister dropped a ball that rolled directly down to him,” Connie recalls. “He simply picked it up and threw it back to my older sister, who was so embarrassed to have to catch the ball from Dr. Gullison. He was not phased by anything.”

Rob, who began donating at just 17, recalled Dr. Gullison showing slides of cataract surgeries performed on patients. These slides soon became real for him, when he encountered a woman with cataracts while he was travelling in Morocco.

“I realized that for many, like the woman I encountered, there was no special support for an older woman experiencing cataracts,” he says. “Although I was in Canada where we have all kinds of support for people experiencing eyesight issues or blindness, I recognized there is something I can do for others through Operation Eyesight.”

After they were married, Connie and Rob passed on the importance of the Gift of Sight to their children. Over their kitchen table, they would discuss philanthropy and what a donation could achieve. They say their goal was to instill in their children the idea and feeling of gratitude.

In a book Rob recently wrote for his children and grandchildren, he notes that donating to Operation Eyesight is his greatest pride. “With our donations to Operation Eyesight, you know that somebody who was blind last month – this month they can see,” Rob says. “So, it is a concrete way of giving.”

Rob’s book has inspired his grandchildren to begin their own fundraising efforts for Operation Eyesight.

“By giving to Operation Eyesight, you know that your donation will help people. It is good to think about who you are giving to, where, and the practicality of your donation,” Connie says.

Rob agrees.

“Whatever your motivation, I think giving should be part of everyone’s life. My giving is an expression of gratitude. Probably until I die, I will give something to Operation Eyesight.”

Thank you, Rob, Connie and family, for your generous support!

For Helen Young, generosity runs in the family. Her mom Betty was passionate about donating eyeglasses. Today, Helen continues to support Operation Eyesight as an annual donor.

“I remember my mother used to donate her old glasses to Operation Eyesight. She knew that within a few months her gift would have an immediate impact in someone’s life,” Helen recalls. “I’ve continued to support Operation Eyesight for that very same reason.”

Helen lost her mom 15 years ago, but giving to Operation Eyesight is a mother-daughter bond that’s now spanned more than two decades.

Although we no longer collect used eyeglasses, providing people with new prescription eyeglasses is still a critical part of our work, made possible through monetary gifts from donors like Helen. Helen says supporting Operation Eyesight still makes sense after all these years, because of the tangible benefits it brings in the lives of individuals and communities.

“The work Operation Eyesight does has evolved over time,” she adds. “But as an annual donor, it’s satisfying to know that, by the end of the year, several people will have benefited.”

Click here to become a donor today and join Helen and with our global community of donors.

Thank you, Helen and Betty, for your years of support!

Having supported Operation Eyesight for decades, leaving a gift in her will was a choice that made sense for Dr. Reddy.

She first learned about Operation Eyesight when she met Dr. Ben and Evlyn Gullison in 1985 after their return from a medical mission in Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Reddy’s home state in India.

“I was impressed by the work they initiated in Andhra Pradesh. I decided to raise funds by organizing annual luncheons at Mahalakshmi Temple in Vancouver,” Dr. Reddy says.

Dr. Reddy’s support for Operation Eyesight has extended nearly 40 years and will endure through the gift in her will.

“In honour of Dr. Ben and Evelyn Gullison, and what they did for my country and home state, I decided to make Operation Eyesight the beneficiary of my life insurance.”

There are many ways to leave a legacy that will provide lasting access to safe, affordable and quality eye health care.

Do you also have dreams for your future legacy? Check out our free Will Preparation Guide.

For six-year-old Blessing, the Gift of Sight has meant more than a critical eye surgery; it has meant life itself.

Two years ago, Blessing was playing near a pile of burning trash in her home village in Ghana when an explosion occurred. Tragically, a piece of metal became embedded in her eye.

Blessing was rushed to a nearby hospital, where her parents received news that no parent wants to hear: their daughter would lose her eye. They were overcome with grief for their daughter’s loss.

“I wish this had happened to me and not my daughter,” her father said.

Although her eye could not be saved, Blessing still required surgery to remove the eye and avoid a life-threatening infection. Her parents struggled financially and knew they could not afford the treatment, but they refused to give up on their little girl.

Blessing was referred to our partner hospital, Watborg Eye Services, where most of the cost of her surgery was covered. After her wound healed, she was fitted with a prosthetic eye.

When our team checked in on Blessing earlier this fall, they found a smiling and active little girl. She has adjusted well to her prosthetic eye and is in her second year of school.

“It’s the expertise of the medical teams at our partner facilities and their ability to act quickly that makes the difference in the lives of patients and families,” says Emmanuel Kumah, our Country Director for Ghana.

“Collaboration between our teams and our partner facilities in the local community is ensuring critical eye care services are available for patients like Blessing every day. We cannot thank Operation Eyesight donors enough for their support!”

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