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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 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 |
Send mail to info@eyecarewecare.org
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