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See Clearly | Eye health & community in Kenya

Four years ago we started building a partnership with the amazing folks at Free the Children, now called We.org. Through this partnership, we are fulfilling our mission of Better Vision for Everyone by removing barriers to vision health and vision correction. Our team is lucky to have had the opportunity to travel to South Narok, Kenya multiple times over the last few years to help screen, support optical education, and provide prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses to thousands of children, women and men.

In our final reflection from our last trip to Kenya, Tim Lucy, our Senior Business Analyst, and Carla Rodriguez, our Logistics Team Leader, share their favourite moments and memories from their extraordinary journey from Vancouver, BC to the Masa Mara.

Meet Tim!

The group I was fortunate enough to spend this adventure with was the best that I could have asked for. Dedicated to helping others, big-hearted and lots of fun. Upon departure, we were a very excited group, taking pictures and preparing for the long trip to the Mara. Other than the long flights, it was a bit scary looking down at the dirt landing strip and seeing the wildebeests near the end of it thinking this was going to be a rough landing… I thought only in the movies would I ever see something like this..

On Day 1, the bumpy ride in the open air was both good and bad. I was very jet lagged but didn’t want to close my eyes and miss anything. If my memory serves, I believe on team member fell asleep bumping all over the place and at one point we thought she was going to be tossed out the window or get severe whiplash. I loved starting out the days with the morning walks. The landscape still dew filled and the warm sun on our faces… It was always a treat to hear the stories from the Masaii Warriors.

The nightly dinner also stands out in my mind. I’m sure we all looked forward to this every evening. The food was great and hearing what each person had to say about their day was always inspiring. Tuskers and Dawas, and playing games with lots of laugh’s spilling into the night. I may have been trying to push a few buttons, hopefully nobody was offended!

When thinking back to the first day of eye screenings, I can’t remember if we arrived late but seeing the huge line up of people waiting it sure felt like it. To add to that, there was a tour of the facility and needless to say, we didn’t start out very organized. It now felt like we were making the people wait forever to get their eyes tested. I’m not sure the number of people that were waiting but upon entering the tent with what felt like a thousand eyes watching our every move I was terrified to look up. When I finally did look at the crowd gathered I was greeted with huge smiles. I thought for sure people would have been complaining. Wow, that blew my mind and still does to this very day.  Once we got started with the eye exams we turned into a well-oiled machine and quickly tested a huge amount of people before the day was done.

Every day had something new to offer, whether it was the giraffe’s, the monkeys trying to steal the garbage, the bush babies screaming Craig’s name or the giant bugs attacking Liz was never a dull moment. At the time I felt like we were packing too much into each day but now I wouldn’t have it any other way, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on a single moment of our experience.

Meet Carla!

One moment that really stands out for me is when we went to Enelerai Primary School. I was at the frame station giving out the prescription frames to each child that needed them. This one little guy was very shy at first and didn’t really say much or show any kind of facial expression. I had him try on a pair of frames and look at himself in the mirror. When he saw himself for the first time a look of joy came over him. He couldn’t stop looking at himself in the mirror, and I remember how he didn’t want to put the mirror down.

To see him so happy overwhelmed me and I had to take a minute to get myself together. It was the best feeling to know I made his day and overall his every day going forward.

Kenya was an experience that I will cherish forever. How all 9 of us were able to come together to help people across the world with better vision is something not a lot of people can say. I hope with our presence there, that we were able to help promote eye health in this beautiful community in Kenya.

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See Clearly |  Bogani & back again

Our stay at Bogani Cottages in the Maasai Mara was nothing short of magical, and the people we got to meet there made it all the more special. The staff and Me to We team were so accommodating and made us feel right at home. It was such a treat for us to be able to do a special vision screening for the staff closer to the end of our stay. We felt it was the least we could do to thank them for the wonderful hospitality. We had such an amazing opportunity to do screenings at the local health clinic and schools but it felt extra special being able to do the screening for the wonderful staff at Bogani, as we had the chance to really get to know them all and interact with them more.

We set up the screening after dinner one night and it was great seeing them all have fun with it, whether that was challenging each other to who could see better or teasing each other if they were struggling a bit to see the smaller letters. There was one staff member named Lillian who noticeably saw a difference with the glasses on and immediately started beaming when she could see well. She was so very thankful that we were able to help her with that and gave us a big hug when we left. I already miss the Kenyan hospitality and those special people that made all the difference during our trip.

On the last day of our trip, it was time to say goodbye to the Maasai Mara and make our way back to Nairobi. It was incredibly difficult to say goodbye to the staff who really felt like family to us at that point, and to the amazing community of the Mara. Not only was it absolutely breathtaking, but the locals we had the pleasure of meeting and the way of life we were introduced to left a lasting impression we would carry with us for a lifetime.

During our trip back to Nairobi, we stopped in to the Me to We Atelier to see where some of the products are made and sold. As we finished up some last minute purchases and started to leave to the bus to head to our next destination, we ran into a friendly, petite woman who introduced herself as Roxanne. It didn’t take me long to realize that it was Roxanne Joyal, CEO of Me to We and a founding member of Free the Children. She lives in Nairobi for parts of the year and was there for business, so it just so happened by chance that our group got to run into her. We had a chance to sit down and share some lunch with her and it was so inspiring to hear more about Roxanne’s story. She asked us lots of questions about how our experience was in the Mara and we got to learn more about her life in Nairobi and what really inspires her. It was an incredible opportunity to spend time with her and it was really clear how passionate and dedicated she is to her role with Me to We and its mission to change the world. She has a huge heart and we felt so lucky to have met her face-to-face. I felt it really was a perfect ending to the trip to see how the organization and charity do what they do.

Contribution from: Liz G, Call Center Manager Extraordinaire

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Good Giving | To walk the walk

There is an African proverb that perfectly sums up our time in Kenya with Free the Children, “Mikono mingi kazi haba” in Swahili, or in English, “many hands make light work”. While helping with vision screening, distributing prescription eyeglasses and sharing the importance of eye health our team was also invited to get to know the families of the communities we were partnering with. For today’s #FlashbackFriday we reflect on our time visiting and working with the amazing community members we met in Kenya, and specifically the Mamas who shared their homes, their families and their way of life with the Clearly team. With gratitude for these amazing women, we’d like to share our experience walking the walk.

For this part of our journey, we’d like to introduce you to Liz G, our amazing Call Center Manager and self-proclaimed “crazy cat-lady”. Liz was among nine team members who visited Kenya through our partnership with Clearly’s Change the View and Free the Children, now We.org, to help remove barriers to vision health and vision correction. Over the next few weeks we will be sharing Liz’s reflections of the team’s time spent with the communities in South Narok, Kenya.

Being given this amazing and unique opportunity to visit one of the Mama’s homes and learn about her way of life was so eye opening and we felt so lucky to have been given the chance to meet this inspiring woman. Not only did she provide for her family with her cattle, she also took care of all the household duties, which included gathering water from the river multiple times a day. The walk up to her home was amazing and surreal as we got to see the community up close and personal as we passed others herding their donkeys or cattle and watched children playing in the fields. There was even a small hut labeled as a movie theatre of some sort. It had rained earlier so the roads were muddy and difficult to walk in, so it’s even more amazing to think that heavy water jugs are carried multiple times daily in the rain or sun!

After meeting the Mama, she was so proud to show us her home as they had recently just built a new addition that gave them more reliable shelter and was decorated with newspapers and pictures. Shortly after, our group was taken to the nearby river with running water where the mamas traditionally fill large jugs of water to bring home to use for the agriculture. It was only about a 10-15 minute walk but once those jugs were full of water it was definitely challenging!

As we took off in pairs back to the house with the jugs strapped to us using the front of our foreheads to help distribute the weight and backs to support the rest, it really sunk in and made us quickly realize that this is extremely challenging. The fact that the women in the community did that water walk multiple times a day made us realize how very fortunate we are to have easy access to water and it was really a testament to what they do for their families.

The women in these communities were so talented and intelligent but also physically strong and capable and I was very inspired by them. Although it felt good to be able to help the Mama that day with her water duties, it made me think about the 364 other days a year that she and her daughter have to do this and it really put things into perspective. Being able to help even just one family can make a huge difference and I was so proud to have been involved with Free the Children who are constantly looking for ways to partner and  improve lives in developing countries.

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Eye Health | Cataracts & the Importance of Sunglasses

Whether you live in Toronto or Vancouver, New York or London, winter has come to the Northern hemisphere! The chilly temperatures encourage us to wear our coziest hats (toques in Canada, eh), scarfs, and mittens. And while we are busy bundling our bodies to protect from freezing temperatures in the North, we often forget that harmful UV rays usually associated with the sun, are still being emitted and bouncing through our atmosphere all year round. So as you head out on your next snow adventure, be it shredding at Earl Bales or snowshoeing Mt. Seymour, please don’t forget your UV protective sunglasses!

To warm your hearts on this chilly Flashback Friday, we’d like to share another story from our last trip to Kenya with Canadian-based NGO Free the Children. Over the last few weeks, we have been sharing our experiences planning, executing and partnering with communities in South Narok, to help support vision health awareness and vision correction accessibility. We’d like to take the opportunity to thank Claudia Rojas, Optician, and all round do-gooder for her story and expert advice below. We hope you enjoy this week’s story.

Armed with excitement, glasses, vision testing charts, and bundles of emotions, our Clearly team arrived at the Kishon Medical Clinic with a mission: to make vision correction accessible to as many people as we could through eye exams and eyeglasses. However, we soon came to realize we had a second mission: to educate as many people as we could on the importance of sun protection.

We conducted vision screenings for many people who had long been waiting for us to help them see. It was extremely gratifying each time that we were able to see someone smile because they could finally see what they had been missing with a pair of corrective glasses. Among these people, many had other eye conditions such as eye infections, due to the lack of clean water and environmental factors, but, we were astonished to see the amount of young people with eye conditions due to sun damage. We noted a disproportional number of cataracts forming in many people under the age of 40, including children.

Over 75% of all blindness in Kenya is either preventable or treatable. In fact, the most common cause of both blindness and visual impairment in Kenya is cataracts, accounting for 38% of all vision loss. (You can find out more about this at http://www.iapb.org/vision-2020)

Cataracts are caused by a buildup of protein that clouds the crystalline lens inside the eye, leading to blurred vision and eventual blindness. Direct contact with sunlight for even short periods of time can lead to several long-term eye health problems – many of which begin symptom-free. Most of us think of cataracts as something that just affects older people. However, in a lot of developing countries, especially those along the equator, it is a huge problem for children as well. In most cases this is due to the amount of sun exposure they experience while being outdoors, and the lack of sun wear such as a hat or sunglasses to protect their eyes. In fact, because children spend more time outdoors, they receive approximately three times the annual adult dose of UV. The longer one is exposed to UV rays, the higher the chances of cataracts to form. 

Given our experience with the prevalence of cataracts seen at Kishon, it was imperative to share the importance of protecting young eyes from the sun, and we found the perfect opportunity during our visit to the Kisaruni Girls Secondary School. We were there to conduct vision screenings for the girls and provided those in need with corrective eyewear. It was also a great opportunity to provide them with sunglasses, and the opportunity to speak with the girls as a group about why it is important to wear the sunglasses that they now had, and if possible, a wide brim hat to protect their eyes.

There are many factors that will continue to contribute to the need for healthcare and social outreach in developing countries such as Kenya, and it all starts with the basics. One of the most important basics being education, and I am forever grateful to have been given the opportunity to share some of my knowledge with a group of amazingly bright girls, who were eager to improve the quality of their lives.

The spirit of a child belongs in a bright and colorful world, and there is no room for cataracts there.

Contributed by: Claudia Rojas, Optician

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Community Outreach | Clearly Meets the Future Grads of Kisaruni Secondary School in Kenya

For our ThrowBackThursday today we give thanks to our Clearly teammates Ryan and Geri for sharing their memories of meeting the amazing young girls at Free the Children‘s Kisaruni Secondary School in Kenya. These intelligent and poised young women all have bright futures ahead! For our part, the Clearly Team wanted to ensure these girls had every opportunity to also literally see their full potential by bringing awareness and access to vision health and vision correction. We hope you enjoy reading Ryan and Geri’s story below!

Kisaruni means “a peaceful place” in both Maasai and Kipsigis languages. Kisaruni focuses on community and empowering curriculum that provides girls with opportunities to excel. These girls strive to build on their cultural values, to be leaders in their communities, to value diversity and encourage active learning.

We had the chance to go to Kisaruni school around mid-afternoon on our 5th day in Kenya. The weather turned from sunny with a patch of clouds to gray and dark. About a minute after the girls began their tour with us, thunder, lightning, and heavy rain moved in. We could hardly hear their voices, but the girls were the picture of professionalism and we're determined to introduce us to their school.  Each student told us a little bit about each of their classes, from chemistry and computer works to reading all kinds of books.  I was amazed at the pride and respect these students had for their school. These girls inspired us with their dedication to learning and their focus on the future.

While doing vision screening in their cafeteria, we came across one of the girls who wasn’t able to read the test sheet on the wall, and none of the glasses we tried on her were helping her vision at all. With Claudia, our Head Optician, and one of the teacher’s help, we determined that she had dyslexia and was having a hard time interpreting the vision screening test as a result. At that point, we were able to help refer her and schedule her for an eye exam at the Kishon Health Clinic to determine the proper correction she needed for her vision.

As we reflect on our experience in Kenya, we appreciate that we didn’t always have the answer, but by bringing awareness to vision health and vision correction we have been successful starting the conversation and next steps to ensure that vision health is addressed. We are so grateful to have met these girls and to have been able to help prioritize their vision needs. We were blown away by their amazing potential and hopefully we left them seeing their full potential as well.  

Have questions about Change the View or want to know more about Clearly’s impact in Kenya? Please email info@changetheview.org for more information.  

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Eye Health | A Chance Encounter, Two Lives Changed: Claudia’s Story

Today’s #ThrowBackThursday is a story of chance encounters and lives changed through partnership, vision health awareness and correction. We were fortunate to have the lovely and amazing Claudia Rojas, Optician & Retail Operation extraordinaire, bring her optical expertise with the team to Kenya. Together Clearly’s Change the View and Free the Children teams helped support local health professionals in South Narok, Kenya, screen and treat local patients’ vision concerns.

This is Claudia’s story: 

I was fortunate to cross paths with a child whose eyes spoke louder than the few words he could speak. Upon meeting this beautiful baby, I further understood the purpose of our presence here in Kenya.

During our second day of screening at Kishon Medical Center, while a woman was being screened, I was admiring the beautiful child that she carried in her arms. I looked closer into the child’s eyes as he looked into the distance, and that’s when I recognized the signs of Retinoblastoma.

Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common eye cancer observed in children. It affects the retina and if left untreated can result in blindness and in severe cases, requires the removal of the eye. Fortunately, Retinoblastoma is still quite rare and is diagnosed in approximately 1 in every 20,000 children.

Eye Care Professionals can help pre-screen for Retinoblastoma in children as young as three months with the goal of early detection. Early detection can help maximize the visual outcome and the quality of life of the affected child. Fortunately, with appropriate medical help, the survival rate for affected children is 96%.

The first sign of retinoblastoma is a strange light or whiteness reflected in the pupil of the eye under certain lighting conditions. This whiteness has been described as similar to a cat’s eye. In this case, the reflection seen in the pupil is actually the white surface of the tumor within the eye.

I could see these signs in both of the child’s eyes, so we immediately took the mother to have her child examined by the Ophthalmologist who had arrived from Nairobi to assist. I spoke with him later that day and he confirmed that the child did have Retinoblastoma. Both the clinic Optometrist and Ophthalmologist committed themselves to making sure to follow up with the mother in order to provide the child with the appropriate treatment in Nairobi.

I cannot express how humbled and grateful I was for the opportunity to identify this issue and help change the course of this young child’s life. I am so proud of the entire team that joined me in this amazing experience and our partners who will help ensure the vision health of their communities. 

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Community Report | Clearly Goes to Kenya: An Update with Abel Mwema

Two years ago we introduced you to Abel Mwema, a compassionate doctor and community member that we met through our partnership with Free the Children in South Narok, Kenya. At that time, Abel had just recently completed additional training in ophthalmology, and was responsible for screening, assessing, diagnosing, treating and prescribing patients with eyeglasses. This additional care and service was bridging the gap for those patients who might otherwise not have access to, or might have to travel long distances for this type of care.  

We had the opportunity to catch up with Abel two years later to find out how he has continued to help people see more clearly and to hear his future plans for vision health access in his community. For this #ThrowBackThursday our CFO Craig Lennox shares his experience catching up with Abel, now a few years into his optical specialization!  

I had the pleasure of spending an hour with Abel after a great tour of Kishon Health Clinic. Abel has been working with Free the Children for approximately 4 years. He initially worked at the Baraka Health Clinic in the Narok South District of Kenya, and then transferred to Kishon in 2013. Abel finished medical school in 2009 and is now in charge of Kishon Health Clinic which has 2 clinic officers, 2 nurses and 1 lab technician. When Abel first joined the team at Kishon, he noticed many patients coming in with eye issues. At the time, Kishon lacked the optometry expertise, so he referred patients to other hospitals which were government run. Narok District Hospital is 45 km’s away and Tenwek Mission Hospital is 70 km’s away. Traveling to these hospitals was not easy for local residents. Abel found that many patients would ultimately come back to Kishon without having issues treated because it was not easy for them to travel to these hospitals, and for the ones that did, these hospitals also seemed to lack knowledge and supplies. In 2013 Abel pursued optometry and completed a professional course, which was supported by Clearly & Change the View. This allowed Abel and Kishon to diagnose and do proper referrals, including diagnosing cataracts. During our team’s visit to the health clinic, a total of 53 cataract cases were diagnosed. Today, Kishon is completing comprehensive eye exams, and dispensing glasses and eye drops. Abel noted that Kishon has become known as the “Eye Hospital” in the area due to clinic services and building awareness. While Kishon and Abel have been successful at building awareness in the area, he is also committed to providing access to those in remote areas. Abel developed an outreach program through Kishon and travels to remote areas on Fridays. The model was created based on the realization that many patients were traveling long distances to come to Kishon and transportation and cost was often a barrier to come back for proper follow up appointments. During these remote visits, Abel typically sees 40-50 patients a day during visits and brings portable optical equipment, eye drops and glasses (plano sun, Rx glasses and readers) provided by Clearly.

I was really impressed with Abel’s knowledge and commitment to Kishon and Free The Children. We spoke briefly about his future and he was excited to be starting a management program in Nairobi in January (2016), and then planned to return to Kishon with added experience and ideas for the health clinic. Abel also mentioned that he has considered pursuing a 3-year Ophthalmology Program so he could expand Kishon’s scope of practice to do cataract surgeries and other procedures in-house (rather than relying on remote Ophthalmologists to travel to Kishon from Nairobi). We’d like to thank Abel, Free the Children and the amazing staff at Baraka and Kishon Health Clinics for opening their doors and hearts to the Clearly Team. We can’t wait for the next update, and to hear about the great progress in vision health and correction that comes from Abel’s vision and leadership.

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Community Outreach | The Logistics of an International Vision Program; Clearly Goes to Kenya

For today’s #throwbackthursday allow us to introduce Simon Fox, Irishman, football aficionado (the real kind of football, or so he says), guitar player, and Lab Production Shift Supervisor here at Clearly. Simon was one of nine team members who traveled to Kenya last November continuing our partnership and support of a vision program with Free the Children. Trips such as these take a lot of planning and preparation, as Simon will recount. Take a journey with us and read below to hear more about the team’s time on the Masai Mara, and all of the effort that has made this past trip a success:

It’s hard to believe it has been twelve months since the trip. Our Kenyan adventure is something I will never forget. Reflecting on the experience, it’s incredible to see the amount of work that goes into these trips. There is so much planning, preparation, coordination and communication involved. There was so much to do, and looking back, also so little time.

Many folks played a role in the pre-trip planning stages. From arranging itineraries, flights, and accommodations, to the vaccinations, visas, and optical training and education.

On top of all of these activities, we also had to manufacture 1500 pairs of glasses and then transport them over 14,000km across the world. And, we had a little over a month to make this happen. No biggie…

It was a daunting challenge, but over the course of a month, day by day, and on top of our everyday workloads, we made it happen.

When it came down to it, we had great help throughout. Our Production Manager and another colleague from the Lab got up at 4:00 AM to bring 16 huge duffle bags in their jeeps to their airport. Now that was as Team Clearly as you get!

It was a not an easy task to bring this all together and make this as successful as it was. But it is a shining example of the awesome people we work with and an amazing team effort.

When we arrived on the ground in Nairobi I remember being unsure of what to expect going through customs, especially with our 16 duffle bags of glasses and optical products, in such a faraway country. Thankfully our Head Optician, Claudia, was there to lead the way and navigate us through the process.

The first day setting up the glasses was interesting. We had talked about how we were going to set up while we were in Vancouver, but on the ground in the Masai Mara it was a different story, and we had to call it as we saw it. We were not completely sure how best to set up the product and where the different types of eyewear should go. But we came up with a setup and overall it worked. We saw all the patients that showed up and were pretty efficient about it and there was not too many bottlenecks.

The next day were a different beast altogether. We talked about how we could improve the set up based on what we noticed the day previously. So when we arrived at Kishon, we strategically moved around the products and table set up and it work liked a charm. We were much more organized and efficient and we got to examine and dispense glasses to everyone that showed up again. It was a great feeling. We were in the zone.

The product remained in Kishson overnight waiting for us to arrive for our third and final day. After Kishon we had to load all the product on to our awesome bus and bring it to our next location, Esononi. We set up quickly. Screened everyone quickly and load up again quickly. At this point we were in the zone. The weather changed from beautiful blue skies to overcast in over the next hour. There was rain a coming.

We arrived in Kisaruni late afternoon. Shortly after we arrived, the heavens opened up. Boy did it rain! We screened in Kisaruni and packed up the gear for one last time. It was going on the truck and would be staying in Kishon. We would only be taking the bags back. The remaining prescription eyeglasses were left with the amazing staff and doctors at Kishon Health Center to continue to fulfill our shared mission: Better Vision For Everyone. 

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Community Outreach | Clearly Goes to Kenya with Free the Children

Last November, 9 team members from Clearly embarked upon a once in a lifetime journey to Kenya. This trip marked Clearly’s 5th international “Do Some Good” trip with our Change the View initiative, and 4th trip directly to Kenya as part of our partnership with Free The Children, now known as We.org.

As the team takes some time to reflect and share stories of their travels, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to invite you to get to know these amazing individuals and follow along with their journey. We hope you enjoy!

Name: Andrew Kyle Title: People and Culture Coordinator Years at Clearly: 4

What was your first job at Clearly? I was a Shipping Specialist in the Logistics department.

What inspired you to get involved with Change the View? Several of my good friends at Clearly had participated in both local and international initiatives and had only good things to say. I have always been fascinated by the people and culture of Africa, so it was an easy decision to make.

Favourite memory from a local Change the View event? Last summer at the Union Gospel Mission Summer Connect Event. I was assigned to the prescription eyeglass table and watched our team of Clearly volunteers come together to reach as many attendees at the event as we could – even if it meant staying a bit late to get through everyone. This was also the first time I got to see our rock star Head Optician, Claudia show off her ninja optical skills.

Name: Carla Rodriguez Title: Team Leader, Logistics Years at Clearly: 6

What was your first job at Clearly? I started working in the call centre for the first 3 months. Then moved down to the warehouse.

What inspired you to get involved with Change the View? Volunteering has always been something I did growing up. Being a part of a company who cares about giving back was a great bonus.

Favourite memory from a local Change the View event? My first event was helping at a local food bank. Seeing how many people don’t know where their next meal is coming from was something that broke my heart.

Name: Claudia Rojas Title: Operations Manager & Head Optician, Retail Stores & Eye Clinics Years at Clearly: 3

What was your first job at Clearly? I was hired as a Licensed Optician/ Contact Lens Fitter

What inspired you to get involved with Change the View? I have great respect for the vision and mission that Change the View has, to remove barriers to vision correction, and I instinctively wanted to be a part of it. There is nothing more gratifying for me than making a difference in people’s lives, especially when it is related to vision.

Favourite memory from a local Change the View event? During a visit to the Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver for an outreach event, I had the pleasure to assist a young lady who was wearing glasses that were no longer fitting her face. She told me that they were about 15 years old and that she originally got them when she was a young child. She also shared with me that she relied on them for work and to get around (her prescription was approximately -7.00 OD) but was not able to afford a new pair, and that she was very embarrassed to wear them in public. The smile on her face spoke louder than words to me, as I saw the confidence that she gained when she first tried on the pair that would now be hers.

Name: Craig Lennox Title: Chief Financial Officer Years at Clearly: 4

What was your first job at Clearly? Joined as VP of Finance in April 2012.

What inspired you to get involved with Change the View? Hearing colleagues speak about volunteering at local projects, and amazing stories, pictures and impact made me step back and appreciate the gift of vision and access.

Favourite memory from a local Change the View event? I had the privilege of attending a TFSS screening program in October 2015. It was amazing - dedicated staff and professionals, well organized and rewarding to support and be included. I’d love to see this replicated in every city in Canada. (For more information about our partnership with the Toronto Foundation for Student Success click here.)

Name: Elizabeth Godbout Title: Senior Manager, Vision Care Years at Clearly: 10

What was your first job at Clearly? I was a CSR (Customer Service Representative, now called Vision Ambassadors!)

What inspired you to get involved with Change the View? Every day over the phone (or email) I got to help our customers see more clearly and improve their quality of life and I realized how much of a difference it could make for those less fortunate. For so many years I took seeing clearly for granted as I didn’t grow up needing to wear glasses or contacts, but as an adult seeing friends and family members being so grateful that Clearly provided affordable eyewear for their whole family made me realize just how challenging and costly it can be to need vision correction. It inspired me to want to do more to be able to reach others in the community or around the world that might not have access to those basis needs and be able to help literally change their view of the world around them!

Favourite memory from a local Change the View event? My favorite memory from a local event was when we were at a local outreach event and I was assisting people choose a frame they would like out of our selection. There was a large line up but everyone seemed to be in good spirits and was generally grateful to be given the opportunity. A woman and her daughter walked up and looked over the glasses and asked for some advice on which frames I thought might look good on her daughter who was in her teens as she said she can be picky and hasn’t had the best of luck finding glasses she’ll actually want to wear to school that they could afford. Glasses can be hard to choose when you’re younger, especially as a teenager, so we had her try on a few different pairs. When I suggested a particularly funky style, she had a huge smile on her face and as she put them on and checked out her reflection, she was sold! The confidence the glasses seemed to bring her was amazing and she couldn’t wait to get the prescription filled so she could proudly rock them. It was so nice that we could find her something that she felt good in and would ultimately help her in school, in more ways than one!

Name: Geraldine Velis Title: Office Coordinator Years at Clearly: 4

What was your first job at Clearly? I started as a customer service rep on the phones.

What inspired you to get involved with Change the View? Seeing the impact we have at our local events at UGM, I wanted to experience the impact we would have outside of Canada.

Favourite memory from a local Change the View event? During the 2014 Christmas season, I was helping distribute glasses to the group attending the event, and we finished our set up early so we were asked to help with the food bank distribution. It was amazing to see how much food gets donated to the food bank and how many needs were fulfilled in one single morning.

Name: Ryan Folloso Title: Procurement Specialist Years at Clearly: 11

What was your first job at Clearly? Shipping Specialist

What inspired you to get involved with Change the View? The experience and being able to work and communicate with a variety of different people.

Favourite memory from a local Change the View event? Reaching out to people and being able to help out is self-fulfilling on my part.

Name: Simon Fox Title: Production Shift Supervisor Years at Clearly: 5

What was your first job at Clearly? My position at Clearly was Assembly Technician.

What inspired you to get involved with Change the View? I really get sad when I see people homeless, down on their luck, and in tough situations. I don’t think it is right, and for me I feel I can help make a difference. There is a need to make a difference, even if it’s small one. Eyesight and eye health are highly important, but not everyone can afford it. I think being able reach people and aid them through Change the View is a great opportunity for everyone.

Favourite memory from a local Change the View event? I remember serving many, many people their dinner in the UGM. There must have been 250+ there that evening. The line was nonstop as was the service. I remember it ended and I was like, it’s done? It seemed like the time had flew by. I did not realize we had been there for over 3 hours already. It was a good feeling, and a good time too.

Name: Tim Lucy Title: Business Systems Analyst Years at Clearly: 3

What was your first job at Clearly? Same as now, Business Systems Analyst… Things don’t change much with roles in IT!

What inspired you to get involved with Change the View? I’m always interested in helping out. Maybe it makes up for some of the bad things I’ve done in the past.. J

Favourite memory from a local Change the View event? Seeing how grateful people are to receive free glasses.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed meeting the team! Over the next few week’s we will be sharing their stories and recounting how their time spent in Kenya changed their lives, while they helped change peoples’ lives through vision correction.

If you would like more information on Change the View please email info@changetheview.org.  

[changethevieworg]

Community Outreach | What Would You Do If You Couldn’t Read Your Favorite Book?

Imagine not being able to see anything more than a few inches away from you or not being able to read your favourite book? Most of us would simply put on our glasses. Well what if you couldn’t see and didn’t have access to any glasses. How would you function?

This is why I volunteered at City Reach with Clearly’s Change the View, to have a chance to help the people See Clearly in our local community.

Every few months the Clearly Team has the the pleasure of going to a local community center or organization to promote eye health awareness and access to vision correction. We set up a booth and get the chance to interact with the community. For people who have been able to get an eye exam we offer a selection of frames for them to choose from. We take down their prescription information and favourite frame style to make them a custom pair of eyeglasses. When finished, the complimentary eyeglasses are brought back and are handed out.

The amount of gratitude received from everyone who shows up is always overwhelming. It truly feels wonderful to be a part of a company that has the ability to change people’s lives for the better and does so on a regular basis.

Contributed by Ksenia S, Clearly Retail Team Leader

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Community Outreach| Des lunettes pour la vue et des amis pour

Je débute avec une confidence : j’ai passé mon premier examen de la vue en 23 ans à mon entrée en poste chez Clearly en 2014. L’ordonnance qui corrige maintenant ma vue n’est pas très forte, mais c’est fou comme tout est devenu magnifique à travers les lentilles de mes nouvelles lunettes : la corrélation entre vision et qualité de vie a vraiment pris tout son sens depuis.

Employée du département de marketing, je fais partie d’une équipe qui s’affaire tous les jours à anticiper les besoins de nos clients afin de mieux les servir. En se penchant sur les détails, on en perd parfois de vue le grand tout qui constitue la raison de nos efforts. C’est pourquoi à l’occasion de La journée mondiale de la vue le 8 octobre dernier, j’ai enfilé mon gilet Clearly pour me rendre  à l’Union Gospel Mission sur la rue Hastings dans le Downtown Eastside de Vancouver.

Le programme caritatif de notre entreprise, Change The View, organise depuis plusieurs années cette activité où on distribue gratuitement des lunettes aux membres de cette communauté du centre-ville. Habitant moi-même tout près de la rue Hastings, je suis tous les jours sensibilisée aux besoins de ce quartier et me sentais choyée de pouvoir faire une différence, bien que minime. Change The View avait invité les gens à apporter leur ordonnance pour venir commander une toute nouvelle paire de lunettes gratuite. Cette activité avait déjà fait fureur dans le passé et à mon arrivée, on faisait déjà la file.

Un membre de l’équipe Change The View m’a tout de suite confié un poste à une station où les gens allaient pouvoir choisir la monture qu’ils aimaient le plus, parmi les modèles qui s’offraient à eux. Armée d’un miroir et d’un sourire, j’ai accueilli nos clients qui avaient patienté dans la rue. J’ai vu le bonheur dans leur visage quand je les rassurais que les lunettes étaient bien gratuites, j’ai vu leur gêne ricaneuse quand venait le moment de me demander quelle paire leur allait le mieux, mais j’ai surtout été inondée d’une vague de gratitude quand ils me remerciaient, pouvant à peine y croire. Je me suis présentée, nous avons fait connaissance, certains m’ont parlé de leur vie, d’autres m'ont parlé du beau temps, un couple dans la soixantaine m’a même raconté en rougissant comment ils s’étaient rencontrés. Bref, cette journée-là, des clients sont devenus des amis. C’est un privilège pour n’importe quelle entreprise de pouvoir établir une connexion aussi personnelle avec ses clients, ça l’est encore plus pour nous qui opérons presqu’entièrement en ligne. Ce jour-là, nous avons distribué 206 paires de lunettes et 244 paires de lunettes de lecture. Ce jour-là j’ai réalisé que nos efforts de tous les jours vont bien au-delà du produit bien fait et livré en temps. Nous aidons les gens à mieux voir. Et pour certains d’entre eux, ça change la vie. Ce jour-là a certainement changé la mienne.

Le 11 février est la Journée internationale pour se faire des amis. Elle me semble l’occasion idéale pour partager cette histoire qui m’est chère, ainsi que les amitiés qu’ils l’ont meublée. Je lève mon chapeau à mes amis de Change The View et je me réjouis à l’idée de répéter l’activité pour peut-être croiser des visages familiers.

[changethevieworg]

Community Outreach | Change the View Hits Close to Home in Downtown Vancouver

It could easily be me.

Those words ran through my mind more than once as I chatted with patients at Clearly’s Change the View event at Vancouver’s Union Gospel Mission on the Downtown Eastside on October 8, 2015.

My name is Chris Day.  I’m a licensed Optician, Contact Lens Fitter and I’m also an alcoholic.  Over nine years ago I quit drinking.  Regardless of the underlying cause of a person’s circumstances, not being able to access eye health examinations or not being able to afford vision correction is a major hurdle that prevents many individuals from being able to experience life at its full potential. In many circumstances this only furthers the alienation that many people may feel.  How is one supposed to get a leg back up and rejoin the workforce, for example, if you can’t even see to make it to the job interview? 

I wear glasses and contacts and my prescription is relatively mild: about a -2.50 in both eyes.  That basically means that without vision correction, I could function but would need you to be within about 10-12 feet away from me before I recognized you.  Anything farther than that?  Not likely.  Driving?  Forget it.  I would not be employable by any stretch of the imagination by any company I know of if I didn’t have access to vision correction.  During the day at the Union Gospel Mission I was seeing people who were not wearing glasses with prescriptions as high as -7.00.  In addition to those I saw patients with prescriptions of -13.00 and up whose glasses were within weeks if not days of being unwearable.  Try to imagine how you would function if you were unable to see any farther than 4 inches away.

Change the View aims to provide eyeglasses, sunglasses, vitamins beneficial to eye health, as well as vision education to those who otherwise would not be able to afford eyewear or have access to eye health examinations.  Our aim is remove barriers to vision health and vision correction so that people can literally see their full potential.

Change the View provides help where it is needed the most and sometimes that help is needed right on our doorstep.  Clearly is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, a world-renowned destination and site of the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Vancouver’s vibrant and dynamic Downtown Eastside has is sometimes known for its concentration of low-to-no income residents, homeless and residents with mental health and substance addiction issues. 

Being homeless can mean spending all day outside.  Without sunglasses, the ultraviolet radiation accelerates the formation of cataracts and can contribute to macular degeneration.  Both of these conditions can have a very dramatic impact on daily life and too often are unaddressed by those who have no access to eye care. 

As I took patient’s prescriptions and talked to each of them about their daily visual needs it struck me how small the gap was between their circumstances and mine.  It doesn’t take a lot to send your life on an unexpected wrong turn. Luckily I had support and have been sober for over nine years.  There are innumerable people on the planet without support both thousands of miles away and in our own backyard.  I went back to school, obtained my Optician and Contact Lens Fitter’s License in addition to getting married to the love of my life and becoming a father to the most adorable little girl the world has ever seen.  If I had not been able to continue seeing properly I have no doubt that I would be in a very different position today. 

As I took the arm of a very nice lady and led her to a table where she was able to choose from a dozen brand new designer frames that she would receive her prescription in for free courtesy of Change the View I thought to myself that it couldn’t be more rewarding for me to give back.

Then 20 minutes later I saw the same lady again on her way out after she chose her new glasses.  The smile I received from her made me feel even better.  But the most rewarding thing I saw in her face as I gave her a hug and said goodbye?  The look of hope and the prospect of new opportunities for her to see life clearly.

I think I may have literally changed her view on life.

[changethevieworg]

Impact Report | Celebrating World Sight Day in Vancouver

October was a busy month for Clearly’s Change the View. In honor of World Sight Day, celebrated internationally on October 8th, we took it upon ourselves to try to increase awareness of vision health issues in our own community here in Vancouver.

Over the course of the month we were hosted by three local organizations: City Reach, Union Gospel Mission, and the SRO Tenant Convention. Our goal? To help bring awareness to vision health resources and to help remove barriers to vision correction by providing sunglasses, ready-made readers and prescription eyeglasses to those with prescriptions.

During the course of the three community events and thanks to the wonderful volunteers from our team and our partners, we were able to see over 800 people; we provided over 200 pairs of prescription eyeglasses, distributed over 240 ready-made readers and handed out over 800 protective sunglasses.

We met some amazing community members and were able to share valuable information about the importance of eye exams. Seeing people experience clear vision, some for the first time in years, was definitely an amazing way to celebrate World Sight Day 2015! Stay tuned for more stories to come as our team shares their experiences out in the community. 

Have questions about Change the View? Interested in partnering with Change the View? Please email info@changetheview.org for more information.

[changethevieworg]

Community Outreach | Claudia, Craig & Maria Ring in the New School Year in Toronto

We had a special opportunity to attend the first screening and optometry clinic for Toronto’s own Foundation for Student Success on October 15th. Clearly’s Chief Financial Officer, Craig Lennox, Head Optician & Retail Manager, Claudia Rojas, and Optician, Maria Zaytseva, were all able to attend the inaugural day.

For the past 5 years, Clearly’s Change the View has partnered with the Toronto Foundation for Student Success to help ensure that vision correction isn’t a barrier to the educational experience and bright futures that these children hold. Not only did the Clearly Team meet the amazing group of people that coordinate and execute the Gift of Sight & Sound Program each year, but they got to meet the principal of the school to learn first-hand how eyeglasses are changing these young students’ lives. The day wasn’t complete without a special school tour from a couple students who had received eyeglasses through the program in the last school year. 

We are so grateful to TFSS for all of the amazing work that they do and are excited to continue this partnership to help these amazing students see their full potential! Want to know more about Toronto Foundation for Student Success or Change the View? Please email info@changetheview.org for more information.

[changethevieworg]

Impact Report Card from Toronto | School’s Out For Summer

Another school year has come and gone and as students enjoy summer holidays, summer heat, and summer camps, it’s time for Clearly’s Change the View to be given a final grade for the 2014-15 school year.

For the last four years Clearly’s Change the View has been partnering with the Toronto Foundation for Student Success. Each year through this partnership, TFSS works with the Toronto School Board to target school in vulnerable areas of Toronto based on a number of geographic and social-economic indicators. A local optometrist helps bridge the vision gap by providing free eye exams and fitting the students with a pair of frames from the a sample pack sent by Clearly. The order requests are sent back to us and our amazing team place, make and ship these orders to help ensure the success of the program and clearer vision for these students.  

So how did we do this year?? Did we get a passing grade?

Our report card says YES! This year we were able to increase our total impact and reach 2,757 students from 150 schools different schools. That’s 2,757 students whose lives, learning experiences, safety and well-being have been changed by removing barriers to vision correction! And it’s all because of you, our customers, and our great Clearly Team!  

So while students bask in the days of summer that seem to last and last, we can’t wait for September and the chance to take Change the View back to school!

[changethevieworg]

Community Outreach | Union Gospel Mission Vancouver

Our team is always looking for ways to give back to our community. We have helped serve meals, hosted food drives and fundraisers, cleaned beaches, and have regularly participated in initiatives with local partners that are near and dear to our hearts.

Most recently in June, Clearly’s Change the View was proud to be part of Union Gospel Mission’s annual Summer Connect Event in the heart of Vancouver’s downtown eastside.

Each year, UGM connects people in Vancouver who are struggling with poverty and homelessness with vital services such as housing and employment assistance, legal advice, and other essential services and information. The Clearly team wanted to give back and do some good in our local community and joined in by donating eyeglasses to the community. Over 100 people were able to receive a pair of glasses to improve their vision and over 1000 people received UV protective sunglasses. Dr. Justin Asgarpour, an independent optometrist and partner of Clearly, was also available to share important information about eye health to the public.

In addition to the eyeglasses provided by Clearly, service providers helped the crowd of 1,500 with employment orientation, haircuts, foot treatments, hearing tests, pet care, wheel chair and bike repair, among other vital services and information. The event was well received by the community and Clearly’s Change the View was thrilled to be part of such an impactful event to help support the empowerment of this vibrant community through vision health and correction.  

Catch a glimpse of the day by watching this video!  

[changethevieworg]

Community Outreach |“Being Able to See the Board Makes Learning Much Easier!” Toronto Foundation for Student Success

Last week Claudia Rojas and members from the Toronto retail team joined forces with Change the View partner Toronto Foundation for Student Success to help distribute prescription eyeglasses to students in the greater Toronto area. The team did a tri-school-hop, going from one school to another fitting students with the new eyeglasses that we had made especially for them. The fun was captured on Twitter and the photo album from the day was also shared on Facebook!

@TFSS said it well when they tweeted, “It’s simple: being able to see the board makes learning much easier!” And we agree! This continued partnership helps to ensure that vision correction is not a barrier to education for these children.

Special thanks to Claudia, Maria and Leesann for helping out with the fun! Stay tuned for more updates from Change the View!