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Latest News about Restoring Vision

“It’s the biggest health crisis you’ve never heard of. Doctors, philanthropists and companies are trying to solve it.”

We are thrilled to share that The New York Times published an article about the global need for eyeglasses on the front page of the Sunday edition issued on May 6, 2018. 

RestoringVision is proud to be part of the solution, and we’re grateful to all of our partners, sponsors, and donors for supporting us in our mission to help people in need see and live better. We hope that as more people and organizations learn about this problem, more will get involved and help.

To read The New York Times article, click here. 

MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER

Dear Partners and Friends,

Spring has sprung and many of you are making plans for your summer mission trips. We are grateful to you for adding glasses to the work you do.

Thanks to our community of partners, we have gathered tips to help make your mission trips more successful. Those are covered in this newsletter. We hope they are useful. We are always interested in other ideas for improving our impact and reach. Please keep your feedback coming!

We are still celebrating the afterglow of our mutual achievement of helping 10 million people since we started. And we have renewed our commitment to help 20 million people by 2020. Of course, we can’t do it without you.

Thank you again for your commitment to helping improve so many lives around the world.

Best wishes,
Mark Sachs, Founder, RestoringVision

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To see the complete newsletter, click here.

MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER

Dear Partners and Friends,

I’m thrilled to announce that last month we passed 10 million people helped since we began in 2003. That’s a major milestone in our “moon shot” goal of helping 20 million people by the end of 2020. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without you—our partners, sponsors, and donors. It’s amazing the impact that we have had together. Thank you!

With this achievement and as we look to the future, we felt that it was time to redefine our organizational identity. I’m pleased to present to you our new Mission, Vision, Philosophy, and Values (see below). We hope that these will not only portray the direction we are heading but that they will also inspire you to continue partnering with us to give the gift of sight.

Thanks again for your support. We look forward to transforming the lives of many more millions of people around the world together with you!

Best wishes,
Mark, Founder, RestoringVision

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THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE

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NEW ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY

Click here to see our Philosophy and Values!

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To see the complete newsletter, click here.

RestoringVision Marks Distribution of 10M Glasses to People in Need

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (March 5)—The non-profit organization dedicated to providing reading glasses to people in need around the world, RestoringVision, is celebrating its biggest milestone— having helped over 10M people worldwide see and live better.

Founded 15 years ago by Mark Sachs—whose basement operations for storing, packing, and shipping glasses advanced into the largest non-profit provider of new reading glasses to people living in impoverished communities—RestoringVision is expressing gratitude to the members of the optical industry that have supported its work since its inception.

“We are thrilled to have been able to help 10 million people restore their vision and their lives through the gift of sight,” said Sachs, Founder of RestoringVision. “We are grateful to our charitable partners in the field, our donors, and especially our sponsors and supporters from the optical community. Without their continued support, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

RestoringVision has grown from helping thousands to millions of people each year by working in collaboration with diverse segments of the optical industry. From start-up businesses to international companies dedicated to manufacturing or distributing optical products and/or services. These organizations support RestoringVision by making in-kind or financial contributions or by helping the non-profit raise awareness about the global need for reading glasses.

“The involvement and commitment of companies and organizations from the optical sector have been key to the success of RestoringVision. Thanks to them, we have been able to grow and help millions of people who wouldn’t otherwise have access to vision correction,” said Pelin Munis, Executive Director of RestoringVision.

Some of RestoringVision’s key supporters within the optical industry include: FGX International, Walmart, National Vision Inc., DIFF Charitable Eyewear, Cohen’s Fashion Optical, General Vision Services, EyeCare Partners, LasikPlus, Joffe MediCenter, Jimmy Fairly (France), and Enchroma.

“We want all of our supporters from the optical industry to know that thanks to them, 10 million people are now returning to their jobs, regaining their independence, and seizing opportunities for growth because their vision is restored,” said Munis.

Uncorrected poor vision affects over 2.5 billion worldwide. This is one of the biggest global health problems, yet there are simple, cost-effective solutions such as reading glasses. Therefore, RestoringVision has set a goal to help 20 million people by the end of 2020. The non-profit is calling on the optical industry for more support.

“While we have been able to help millions, the need is much bigger,” said Munis. “We hope that many more optical industry members join us in addressing this problem. The more organizations that become involved, the more people we will be able to help.”

For more information about RestoringVision, click here or contact them at info@restoringvision.org.

Media contact: Grecia Greco, grecia@restoringvision.org

 

 

 

We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our biggest milestone having helped over 10 million people around the world see and live better!

A BIG THANK YOU to:
–Our Partners in the field who take glasses overseas and put them on the faces of people who need them.
–Our Sponsors and Donors who make contributions to support the work we do.
–Our friends and supporters who help us raise awareness about RestoringVision, the need for reading glasses and the impact that these have on people’s lives.

Without your continued support, this wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you for transforming the lives of 10 million people through the gift of sight!

MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER

Dear Partners and Friends,

2017 is now in the history books. We ended the year on a very positive note—having helped over 3 million people around the world. With your support and participation, this is the most people we have helped in a given year. Many thanks to you, our partners, sponsors, and donors, who made this possible. Thanks as well to our returning partners, who have made the dispensing of glasses part of their annual commitment, and to our new partners, who have added glasses to their existing programs for the first time.

As we close 2017 and look forward to 2018, we’re pushing ever closer to our goal of helping 20 million people by the end of 2020. We’re focusing on expanding our existing partnerships, getting new partners on board, and improving our operations so we can serve you better. We’re also continuing to spread the word about the need for reading glasses in the developing world.

To help us reach this goal, please continue to support our work by taking glasses to the field, signing up for a corporate sponsorship program or making a donation to help provide the gift of sight.

As always, thank you for your support and for making a difference in people’s lives.

Best wishes,
Mark, Founder, RestoringVision.org

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SOME OF THE BEST MEMORIES FROM 2017:

Watch this video to see some of the best memories that you, our partners, have shared with us!

 

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To view the complete newsletter, click here.

MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER

Dear Partners and Friends,

As the holiday season begins, I am reminded of so much that we have to be grateful for. We have our health, our friends, and family. And we have you, our partners and sponsors, who have chosen to join us in this quest to help people in need see their world more clearly. For this, we are truly grateful.

This newsletter marks the end of another successful quarter for RestoringVision. We have now, with your help, provided clear vision to over 9M people since we started. Our goal of helping 20M people by 2020 is still ways away. But we are making great progress towards that target.

I also want to let you know that #GivingTuesday is coming up on November 28. Just like we did last year, we will be turning #GivingTuesday into #GivingSightDay. We’ve set a goal to raise $15,000 to help 25,000 people in need. In addition, we’ll have a promo code for our partners taking glasses in the field. Be on the lookout for a special email just for you. In the meantime, please be sure to add #GivingSightDay to your calendars.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support. I know we couldn’t do it without you.

Best regards,
Mark, Founder, RestoringVision.org

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Add #GivingSightDay to your calendar:

Apple   Google   Outlook   Outlook.com   Yahoo

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To view the complete newsletter, click here.

We are thrilled to announce that we have reached 8.5 million people helped since 2003! We couldn’t have done this without YOU, our partners, sponsors and donors. Thank you all for your on-going contributions and commitment to helping people see and live better!

MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER

Dear Partners and Friends,

Thanks to you, it’s been an exciting year thus far. Together we’ve already helped over 1 million people and are nearing 8 million people helped since 2003. With your support, we’re on our way to reaching our goal of helping 20M people by 2020.

Much of what we have accomplished has been through raising awareness about the need for and impact that glasses have on people’s lives. With increased awareness, more and more people are taking glasses to the field and providing them to people who need these most. On October 12, World Sight Day, we will have an opportunity to raise more awareness together. World Sight Day is a call to action for people around the world to think about their vision as well as others’. This year we’re joining the movement and invite you to get involved by participating in our social media contest. This is no ordinary contest, it’s one in which every participant can win! To learn how to get involved, click here. Together, we can spread the word and help the millions of people who live with near vision impairment.

Lastly, if you need to order glasses for an upcoming mission trip, now would be a great time. We have lots of new, high-quality, reading glasses and sunglasses available. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the quality.

Thank you again for your support. As always, we couldn’t do this without you!

Best regards,
Mark, Founder, RestoringVision.org

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To view the complete newsletter, click here.

RestoringVision announces a new goal to restore sight to 20 million people by the end of 2020

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.(May 30) —RestoringVision, an optical non-profit organization dedicated to providing new reading glasses and sunglasses to people in need around the world, has set a goal to help 20 million people by the end of 2020.

Since 2003, RestoringVision has been focusing its efforts on creating access to glasses for those earning less than $2 a day. To date, the organization has helped over 7 million people, and it is now raising the bar to impact 13 million more lives over the next four years.

“I’m very excited about our organization’s commitment to helping 20 million people by 2020,” said RestoringVision Founder Mark Sachs. “The need for glasses and the lack of access to them in disadvantaged communities is a problem that affects over 500 million individuals living with near vision impairment. Near vision impairment impacts their ability to work, learn, cook, and carry out daily tasks.”

Over the last two years, RestoringVision has built a capacity to distribute 5 million glasses per year. “With our strategic partnerships and distribution capacity in place, we are in a unique position to make a difference,” said Pelin Munis, Executive Director. “To achieve this goal, we are looking to strengthen existing partnerships and develop new ones.”

The lack of access to available, affordable reading glasses in developing countries is one of the biggest global health problems affecting 1 in 7 people. In addition to the support of its 1,400 partners, RestoringVision is looking to raise awareness about the problem and get more people and organizations involved. “We are inviting everyone to join us and make this goal their goal. Charitable organizations and groups, corporations and individuals. Anyone can help,” said Mark Sachs.

To get involved or to learn more about RestoringVision, visit: www.restoringvision.org/20-million-2020, or contact them at info@restoringvision.org.

Watch this 3-minute video to see the work that RestoringVision does and the impact that it has on people’s lives.