Check it out! Great Shape! Inc. and iCare are featured in the Lions Club International blog.
King County Lions members, Ciony and Bert Caoili, and Tonya and Vince Christoffersen are still basking in the glow of a humanitarian project in Jamaica. The two couples spent a week in Ocho Rios, helping children and families see the world more clearly by volunteering with Great Shape! Inc.’s iCare project. Ciony, Bert, Tonya, and Vince spent a week in October with 40 other volunteers. Together they provided 1,800 eye exams, distributed 2,700 pairs of glasses, referred 175 patients for sight-saving surgery and saw 595 patients for blood pressure and sugar testing. “We made a difference that no one can really understand unless we walk in the shoes of those that are receiving,” reflects Tonya Christoffersen.
iCare greatly depends on the generous eyeglass donations from the Lions Club. The Lions have helped provide more than 10,000 pairs of glasses in just three years. You too can volunteer on the iCare project next fall or help with donations, sponsorships, and eyeglasses all year. Vince Christoffersen holds onto the memory of witnessing a young girl finally able to see, he explains, “The girl had very poor vision and could see trees, but not the leaves. The iCare team prescribed and fit her with glasses. She was so happy,” he continues, “it was indescribable what it felt like to see her face light up when she could see things a lot clearer.”
What is iCare?
*iCare is a visionary project; we provide exams, glasses, and surgery referrals to people in Jamaica. We are facilitated by Great Shape! Inc. a nonprofit and 501(c)(3) that has provided healthcare and education in Jamaica since 1988.
*There is not public health optometrists in western Jamaica. Some of the women that received iCare treatment brought their bibles to the clinic and after recieving exams and appropriate prescription eye glasses they read them for the first time in years! With glasses children can read books and learn, and adults can gain employment. Great Shape! Inc. partners with a local hospital for surgery referrals to restore eyesight.
Want to get involved????
Email Tiffany, our Executive Assistant for an iCare application at tiffany@gsjamaica.org.
