"Delivering God's ultimate vision plan to the poor"
                                                                                     

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                                    News Alert!!!

The Second Annual EyeCare WeCare Foundation Fundraising golf tournament will be at the Fleming Island Golf Course in Jacksonville, Florida on Sunday June 22, 2008 at 1:00PM.  Participants and Sponsors are welcome. Entry Form and additional information (click here)

  BRINGING FREE VISION SERVICES TO THE RURAL POOR IN THE   PHILIPPINES 

The new mobile vision clinic was used for the latest mission Dec 2007 through Jan 2008 -- new pictures this page and Latest Mission  ---For additional pictures of the mobile clinic. (click here)

POOR PEOPLE  ARE SCREENED FOR ELIGIBILITY & REGISTERED

  

 

INDIGENTS ARE IDENTIFIED BY THE LOCAL SOCIAL SERVICES AND THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES ELIGIBLE FOR THE FOUNDATION SERVICES EACH IS CAREFULLY REGISTERED AND RECORDED. THEIR NAMES, ADDRESSES, BIRTH DATE MEDICAL HISTORY IS TAKEN  AS WELL AS THEIR CHIEF VISION COMPLAINT AT THIS TIME AND THEY ARE ASSIGNED A NUMBER AND ARE SEEN IN ORDER.

THEY THEN ARE PRE TESTED BEFORE SEEING THE DOCTOR

 

BLOOD PRESSURES ,  INTER OCULAR PRESSURES, AND AUTO REFRACTOR READINGS  ARE ALL DONE BY SEASONED WELL TRAINED VOLUNTEERS  IN THE FRONT PORTION OF THE MOBILE CLINIC TO GIVE THE DR. INFORMATION WHICH IS REVIEWED.

THEY ARE EXAMINED FOR EYE HEALTH AND THEN FOR SPECTACLES

  

THE CLINIC IN THE CENTER PORTION OF THE MOBILE CLINIC WHERE THE DR THEN DETERMINES REFRACTIVE ERROR AND EYE HEALTH AND FORM OF TREATMENT ON ALL INDIGENTS. SOME RECEIVE EYE MEDICATIONS FOR MEDICAL PROBLEMS. THE DR ALSO ADVISES THEM TO SEEK MEDICAL CARE FOR HYPERTENSION, DIABETES, SKIN CANCER AS WELL AS CATARACT AND PTERYGIUMS SURGERIES WHEN INDICATED

SEASONED VOLUNTEERS SEARCH FOR EACH PRESCRIPTIONS RAPIDLY

  

THEY ARE SORTED BY GENDER/SINGLE VISION/MULTI FOCAL/NEAR OR FARSIGHTED Rx / 40,000 PAIRS OF DONATED EYEGLASSES ACCOMPANY EVERY VISION MISSION

 THEY RECEIVE THEIR SPECTACLES  

 

WE RECEIVE THE SMILES AND HUGS

    

      

The happy faces, tears and shouts of joy are the norm. Most of these people thank the Foundation volunteers, over and over again. We tell them to "Thank God -He is the one that sent us here"

EYECARE WECARE FOUNDATION

Eyecare Wecare Foundation, Inc. is based in the United States. It is a registered 501 (c) (3)  not for profit,  Christian centered, international  organization that does medical vision missions. It has a branch office in the Philippines that is registered with the Philippine government under SEC (Security Exchange Commission)  It is currently conducting  its free vision clinics there.  The foundations target population is the rural poor who do not have access to, nor financial resources for, vision services. The foundation provides free eye examinations, eyeglasses,  medications and refers needed eye surgeries to charitable organizations that provided surgeries for either no cost or a very low fee according to level of poverty. The foundation has no paid administrators or staff, everyone  volunteers.

THE MISSION

EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc. was created in 2001. After incorporation and obtaining its tax exempt status; received donated optometry equipment instruments and in 2004 it shipped a container to the Philippines. In May of 2005, After three years of preparation, the Foundation started its first medical vision mission on Negros Occidental Island in the Philippines. It currently conducts the missions twice a year. Usually in June/July and December/January.  Although the  Foundation is based in America, it's  Philippine branch office is in the Barangay (village) Ma-ao, Bago City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. Mobile vision clinics are the answer to delivering needed vision services to the poor. The foundation plans to expand is services to the rest of the Philippines. Once that has taken place, it later plans to expand to other Asian countries of  Thailand, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Viet Nam and Taiwan. The Foundation's "Clinics on Wheels" will be transported by ferry boat to the other islands. There are over 7,100 islands in the Philippines but only about 900 that are inhabitable. The foundation wants to obtain a mobile eye surgery clinic that will travel with the mobile vision clinic to perform the needed eye surgeries. An optical lab is needed to make eyeglasses for the difficult prescriptions that cannot be found in the huge inventory of donated eyeglasses. It already has acquired and shipped to the Philippines some lab equipment that is needs to edge uncut lenses but it needs surfacing equipment and lens blanks. Another project is to have a small transport  bus to take the volunteers and the indigents  to and from the mobile clinic . The Foundation wants reach out to the poor people of the world and to restore their vision. The foundation appeals to individuals, civic organizations, religious organizations, fraternal organizations, corporate organizations and other philanthropic foundations to help it with its projects.                                                                                   

THE FOUNDERS

The foundation was created by it's president Dr James "Jim" H. Weyrich and his wife  Ellen. Jim is a practicing optometric physician for 40 years and she  is his optometric assistant. They practice in Aberdeen, Washington. Dr. Jim has led Christian vision missions to Nicaragua, Honduras, Morocco, Algeria and was participating volunteer on a vision mission to Mexico. He served with the Mercy Ships aboard the Island Mercy for over 6 Months in the Philippines. They met in the mission field and they have both committed themselves to continue to the mission field.

All of the vision missions that Dr. Weyrich participated in prior to EyeCare WeCare Foundation, had problems getting the supplies into and out of the developing nations. The doctors would have to ship their supplies with them, sometimes they wouldn't arrive with the volunteers on their flight and the doctors couldn't start until their instruments arrived. Then the problems getting supplies through customs both into the country being served and upon the return to the USA is many times a nightmare. Also, because of size and sensitivity of the instruments, many of the High Tech instruments are not practical to ship with the vision missions.

This was the reason that EyeCare Wecare Foundation was established. With EyeCare WeCare Foundation, the supplies and instruments have already been shipped to the Philippines.  

The foundation's model

The eye professionals that have participated on other vision missions: (Optometric Physicians, Ophthalmologists and Opticians) really like the concept of EyeCare WeCare Foundation. They can fly in, bring their favorite scopes , stay in Housing that the foundation has located for the Volunteers. They then get transported to and from the mobile vision clinic that are in  the rural areas. The indigents have been prescreened as to economic status for eligibility. The very next medical mission an American/Filipino ophthalmologist will be volunteering with the foundation and will be performing cataract and pterygium surgeries.


VOLUNTEERS MAKE IT ALL POSSIBLE

 

Brgy. Caridad January 2008                                Brgy. Sampinit  January 2008

   

Brgy. Napoles     January 2008                           Brgy Handumanan  January 2008

 

       Purok Mining/ Brgy. Maao Jan 2006            Brgy.  Malingin December 2006

     

         Brgy. Taloc  January 2007                                 Brgy. Dulao    June 2007

      

                   Brgy. Pacol June 2007                              Brgy. Bacong   June 2007

PHILIPPINE CLINIC DIRECTOR

         

  Jobert D. Tagobader

Jobert Tagobader is the volunteer  Philippine Director for EyeCare WeCare Foundation-Philippines, Inc. He is also the Vice President of the Foundation. He has volunteered and served in every one of the EyeCare WeCare Foundation temporary clinics. He, in fact, is the one that canvasses the surrounding barangays (villages) to locate all of the venues for temporary clinics. He was just elected (May 2007) as Counselor for Bago City, he is former counselor for Barangay, Ma-ao, Bago City from 2000 to 2007.  He has served as a board member, Vice President and President of CENECO  (Central Negros Electric Cooperative) This geothermal electric company serves all of Negros Island and is the third largest Power cooperative in the Philippines. This young man (only 36 years of age) was at the very top of class in high school, undergraduate and post graduate college. His undergraduate degree is BA is philosophy and he has a masters degree in public relations.  

He also is a third year law student at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos  He has previously taught at AMA Computer College in Bacolod, at Holy Infant Academy. He has worked as supply officer in the Land Transportation Office in Pontevedera, Negros Occidental. Jobert is married, his wife Maria "Paz" is a nurses aid at Bago City Hospital and they have two adorable children , a son "PJ" and daughter  Jillian Ellery "Ice".  He is in charge of the EyeCare WeCare Foundation Mobile Vision Clinic and the storage building where the instruments and supplies and graded donated eyeglasses are kept. He is in constant communication with American Headquarters so he is aware all of the projects of EyeCare WeCare Foundation and all of the upcoming vision missions.

 


    

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

1. July 29, 2007 "The Visayan Daily Star"  Philippine Newspaper

2. March 26, 2006  "The Daily World"

3. March 09,2006  "The Vidette"

4. January 14, 2006 "The Visayan Daily Star"  Philippine Newspaper  

 

Click the tab on the left "LATEST MISSION NEWS" to find out about the exciting things that happened on the June 2007 vision missions and what is being planned with future missions. God is using the foundation in a mighty way. Click the tab "ABOUT THE FOUNDATION" to find out our objectives.


Contact Information

 America                                                  
             EyeCare WeCare Foundation, Inc      
             c/o Dr. James Weyrich                         
             304 N. Talbot                                         
             Montesano, WA  98563   USA 
    jim.weyrich@eyecarewecare.org
             Telephone:      360-593-2353  
     FAX:              360-249-3024  
                                                         
 Philippines
 EyeCare WeCare Foundation-Philippines, Inc
           c/o Jobert Tagobader
           Ma-ao, Bago City, Negros Occidental, 6101  Philippines
    jobert@eyecarewecare.org   
           Telephone:       011-63-915-575-3558
 
 
Electronic mail
General Information:        info@eyecarewecare.org
Ellen Weyrich:                 ellenweyrich@eyecarewecare.org 
       

 

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    Last modified: 03/20/08