|
North American Children’s Clinic
Q. What is a North American Children’s Clinic? Modeled after our international missions, North American Children’s Clinics are two-week clinics designed to provide eye care and eyewear to underprivileged youth across the United States. During each clinic, Luxottica Group employees, optometrists and ophthalmologists provide free eye exams and new eyewear to as many as 2,500 youth. As of September 2006, North American Children’s Clinics have helped more than 30,000 students.
Q. How are children selected to participate in the Children’s Clinic? Gift of Sight works with Lions clubs, school social workers and other charitable agencies in the location of the Children’s Clinic to identify and pre-screen children based on financial and visual need.
Q. Do the children get used eyewear? Each child participating in a North American Children’s Clinic gets to choose their own new pair of eyewear from a selection of frames available just for them. In most cases, mission patients will receive their new eyewear within a week of the clinic. However, in some instance, the eyewear is made right on site for the children to receive before they leave.
Vision Van Clinics
Q. How do you decide which children to see on a Vision Van? Gift of Sight works with Lions clubs, school social workers and other charitable agencies in the mission location to identify and pre-screen children based on financial and visual need.
Q. How do I get the Vision Van to visit my community? Please contact us if you are interested in having one of our Vision Vans help youth in your community.
Q. How is a Vision Van Mission different from a North American Mission? A typical North American is longer than a Vision Van Clinic with a larger staff to serve more kids each day. Specifically, a Mission lasts two weeks with a staff of 20+ local volunteers, Luxottica Group employees and affiliated doctors who serve up to 500 children each clinic day. In contrast, the Gift of Sight Vision Vans travel North America, staying for only one-to-three days in each place. The Vision Vans have a smaller clinic staff, including local volunteers, store associates and doctors who set up exam lanes within the Vision Van or nearby and serve approximately 120 children each day.
Community OutReach
Q. What is a Gift of Sight OutReach program? Gift of Sight Outreach engages volunteer associates from Luxottica Retail to take their skills to those in need in the community who are unable to come in to the stores. Through this program, volunteer employees, optometrists and Ophthalmologists provide free vision screenings at schools and health fairs and eyeglass adjustments and repairs in nursing homes and shelters. Outreach is our biggest Gift of Sight North America program with more than 200,000 people helped annually.
Q. Do store associates get time off for doing OutReach work? Each Luxottica Retail employee is encouraged spend part of their work time volunteering through GOS OutReach programs. We also encourage associates to volunteer on their own time when they can.
Q. How can I get someone to do OutReach volunteer work with the senior center in my community? If you have a community group or facility that would benefit from Gift of Sight OutReach services, please contact your local Luxottica Retail store and ask to speak to the Gift of Sight Captain. Luxottica Retail stores include LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical and Sunglass Hut.
In-Store Programs
Q. What are Gift of Sight In-Store programs? Luxottica-affiliated optometrists and associates help recipients in-store who were pre-selected by local charities as being in financial and vision need. In-Store programs include the GOS voucher program (free eyewear for pre-selected recipients referred by charitable agencies for both optical and financial need,) and the Special Pricing voucher program (discounted eyewear vouchers available for charitable agencies to purchase and distribute.)
Hometown Day
Q. What is Hometown Day? The first Tuesday in December, Luxottica Retail stores and other participating optometrists and ophthalmologists across North America provide free eye exams and new glasses to those in need in their local communities on Hometown Day. All recipients are pre-screened by local charities for financial need and visual need and then taken into the stores on Hometown Day to receive a complete eye exam and new glasses.
Q. Can I refer someone to a store for help on Hometown Day? No, but if you know someone with optical and financial need, please refer them to your local Lions club, Red Cross or other community charitable agency so that they can get a referral for Hometown Day or an eyewear voucher.
Q. How many people do you help on Hometown Day? Each year Gift of Sight and Luxottica Retail associates and doctors serve approximately 20,000 people in the U.S. and Canada on Hometown Day.
Used Eyewear Collection & Recycling
Q. Where can I drop off my used eyewear? Used eyeglasses and non-prescription sunglasses, recycled for distribution on international missions, can be dropped off at any Luxottica Retail store or participating independent eye doctor throughout the year. Collection boxes are available at LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical and Sunglass Hut stores. Or, you may save your used eyewear to give to someone collecting glasses for Gift of Sight on Halloween, or Sight Night, or to your local Lions club.
Q. Do you recycle sunglasses? Yes, but only non-prescription sunglasses.
General Questions
Q. Who do I contact if I know a child who needs eyewear but cannot afford them? You may contact your local Luxottica Retail store (including LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sunglass Hut, Sears Optical or Target Optical) Lions club or a charitable agency such as United Way or Red Cross for referral to a North American Mission, Vision Van Mission, or In-Store program in your region.
Q. What is the relationship between Give the Gift of Sight and Lions Clubs International? Lions Clubs International and Gift of Sight have partnered to address vision needs in North America and around the world since 1991. Lions clubs members help Gift of Sight coordinate missions both in North America and developing countries. Local Lions clubs manage vital details such as mission locations, local translators, team accommodations and patient transportation. Lions clubs also collect used eyewear, which they recycle and repair to be used on international missions. They are dedicated partners and generous donors of time and resources to Give the Gift of Sight programs.
| 
