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Clinic Blog: 2011 San Diego Clinic Blog

March 7, 2011

It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye. . .

By rwilson

We check out of our rooms and take the final walk to the restaurant.  We say goodbye to the Buckwheat Pancakes – ah, parting is such sweet sorrow!  In conversing with Liz the manager of the eatery, we discover that she is very familiar with OneSight, as last year her grandson was one of the recipients of our program.  How cool - we have come full circle.

We make the final drive to the site.  Ok, I can do this.  It’s so hard to say goodbye . . . We make our way to the park and see a wall of purple T-shirts lining up, for our group picture.  CHEESE!  During our last morning meeting, Melissa reminds us to thank those who sacrificed so that we could make the trip here.  After some final instructions, we jump right in feet first.  Three hours later we had seen 120 kids and for the week we touched a total of 1,099 lives!  Great job team San Diego!  It’s so hard. . .

Cute kids – I would guess 1,099 of them.  One from today that stole the show was Oscar.  Cute as he wanted to be, in his sweet little Spanish speaking voice took one look at the doctor and said “rapido”!  When asked why he was in such a hurry, he replied in Spanish “I’m hungry and I gotta pee”! 

Then there was the fourth grader Angel, who received his brand new glasses.  However, they were not quite what he was looking for.  They were yellow tortoise round frames.  They were all that was left that would fit his tiny face in the inventory.  In the past he had been teased relentlessly by the other kids, so the idea of him wearing these glasses did not make him happy.  Clinic Coordinator Lee Canup decided to make Angel another pair, so that he could have a pair that he could leave at school and a more ‘cool’ pair that he could wear every day.   

Jim Nelson steps on one of the buses to say hi to the kids and spots a little boy crying.  He asks “what’s the matter”, the little one replied “I’m crying because I’m happy that I can see”.  T E A R!  This is why all of us do this.

Although it is hard to say goodbye to yesterday, tomorrow is now much brighter for the 1,099 kids that came through our doors.  A special thanks to the many people great and small, who welcomed us to the city of San Diego and made what we did all possible.  Until next time!  

March 4, 2011

Shake and Bake – Now You See Them – Now You Don’t!

By rwilson

Did I hear you say . . . simple and fast?  It seemed simple and it went fast!  We started about 8:30 with our walk-in kids, who were brought by their parents and by 1:45, the last child had left the building.  Wow!  We rock!!! 

Although quick, it was very eventful.  We were happy to have more Luxottica volunteers, such as Amador from Target.  He used his quick wit and winning personality to swiftly move students through the Visual Acuity Station.  There we came in contact with a young man with a long face.  Amador began to ask him what was wrong.  He answered “I got dumped!”  Yes at the tender age of 13, a little girl had rocked his heart to the core!   Then there was Alex from Sears, who was ready to give Amador a run for his money in the comedy department and he was no slouch himself. 

And of course, there were kids - a total of 240 of them. One of the firsts was a fourth grader that was larger than the other kids, named Shayla.  She moved from station to station, not talking to anyone.  Once she reached Frame Selection, our resident frame expert Shawnna Hunt took a special interest in this painfully shy little girl.  She tried on all of the frames on the table, but none would fit her pretty round face.  She left the floor, only to search in the back stock for a frame to accommodate this child.  Ah ha!  She found one!  She rushed back for her to try.  They fit!  After going through the entire process, finally we get a smile from a satisfied Shayla.

While there were kids being seen at the Camacho Center, there were other kids who had been in the clinic earlier in the week, who were now receiving their glasses.  Several schools had happy kids that were literally seeing things for the first time.

One of our Dispensing Teams, Amy Neff and Tiffany Morgan shared a story of a child that was receiving her first pair of glasses.  Before Amy placed the glasses on her face, she asked the pre-teen to look out the window at a cluster of trees.  She asked “what do you see”, the child answered that she just saw an outline.   The young lady received her glasses . . . and her face lit up!  Amy asked what she could see now and the girl said that she could “see everything even the leaves on the trees!   

Another team of Sharon Greene and Jackie Winges-Beach, were able to dispense glasses to a boy named Raphael, who had a -13.5 Rx.  When he put his glasses on he exclaimed “I can see!”   Today, the overall consensus of the Core Team, was that children were very appreciative of what they were receiving; which made us feel like it was worth the fatigue, the sore feet and the cut fingers. 

Mid day we were visited by royalty!  National City Queen Lexes Zuniga and Princess Victoria Guerra stopped by to see the clinic and say hello to the kids.  They were given the penny tour of the site, including EyeVan.  Some of our team members took time out for a photo op with the two beauty queens.

Later this evening, was time for celebrating our successes and appreciating one another.  Our Pinning Ceremony and Silent Auction took place.  First was the ceremony.  Our Program Managers Melissa Standridge and Scott Lawrence applauded our efforts, thanked our Clinic Leaders and acknowledged all those who made this clinic possible, like Superintendant Katie Filzenger and the Lions Club.   

Those that felt led to share accolades for those special people that they encountered, were able to do that as well.  This portion ended with each person pinning the person to their right, with beautiful commemorative pins (Courtesy of Chris Schilling and TerryBerry).  This was followed by a delicious spaghetti dinner and the Auction. 

The Silent Auction – what a blast!  There were items representative of every corner of the United States.  And OneSight paraphernalia as far as the eyes could see!  Some of the most popular items were Oakley Sunwear, a OneSight  Flag (signed by everyone) and a fabulous Scrap Book chronicling the week’s events, fashioned by Dr. Mita.  Team members like Robert Banilla and Jen Alemany strutted their stuff to show off and entice us with the splendor of the things up for bid.  “It’s for the babies!” rang through the room over and over again.  The final item up for bid inspired a fierce bidding war.  If looks could kill . . . there may have been a homicide to investigate this morning!  The end result, a final bid of $300.00 (for the babies)! 

After last night’s entries we were just under half of our fundraising goal.  If you would like to help make a difference and be a part of this life altering clinic please donate by following this path:

www.onesight.org >>North America>>Donate>>Clinic Fundraising>> scroll down to the orange ‘Support’ link.

  

 

          

March 3, 2011

In The Swing of Things

By rwilson

OH YEAH . . . we’re moving and grooving now!  Day three in beautiful San Diego California, we are holding our own and making a difference in the community of National City.  We have been spending our days in the Camacho Center, nestled inside of breathtaking Las Palmas Park.  Today, like Monday we saw 239 kids.  Each child had their own story and their own needs.  Our team, a now well oiled machine, moved them effortlessly through nine stations.

Are you ready for our next president?  Introducing Andy!  This young man was charismatic, suave and debonair!  He wowed two of our Clinic Coordinators Dottie Short and Jennifer Alemany, the moment he stepped in the door.  He instantly began to teach Jen how to dance.  Today’s lesson was the “Jerk”.  He told tales of his "Ex" and his seven year old heartbreak.  He then made his way to the Color and Depth Perception Station and stole my heart.  After I completed his tests, I said “Ok Andy, you’re all done with me” he stretched his honey colored arm out to me and said “Noooooooo”, in his most dramatic voice. 

All was well with Andy, until he reached the Dilation Station.  That’s where the gnashing and wailing began!  It took a couple of team members to hold him and get him dilated.  Whew, take a breath!  After that was over, it was back to his cute and charming self.  He was our personality plus winner of the day! 

One of the largest schools that we serviced today was Willow Elementary.  All of the students of this school deserve a gold star, for their orderly and polite behavior.  They were very appreciative of the whole process.

The true stars of the day were the guys and dolls working in the lab.  Scott Lawrence, OneSight  Program Manager, was along to oversee the production piece of the Clinic.  He led that team through an entire day and a half of jobs in one day.   Their motivation?  Hearing and seeing Scott singing Michael Jackson!  Long live the King of Pop!  Thanks to Tracy Schumacher, Sharon Greene, Joelle D’Addanrio, Monica Pang, Vangie Roeber, Suzie Derkatsch, Jackie Winges-Beach, Jon Davis, Jim Nelson, Dorie Haste, Chris Schilling and the volunteers for the push to ‘get ur done’!

The day ended with the Team disbursing to various locations for our FREE NIGHT!  Some went to the Pier, some to various restaurants and others to the mall . . . and we all made it back!             

March 2, 2011

Roller Coaster Ride!

By rwilson

Top of the morning!  The star San Diego Team, who took no prisoners on yesterday, had another early start.  Energized and ready we took cars, trucks and vans to the Clinic Site.  We jumped in with both feet ready for a new day and more kids.  Some had new assignments for the day and those who were stellar at their jobs on Monday, were back for repeat performances.  We were graced by volunteers from Oakley and Shamir to assist in completing the days’ tasks.  

Boom!  Boom!  Boom! It sounded like a mighty army. It was a crowd of marching kids, led by our very own Clinic Coordinator Dottie Short!  They were excited and ready and so were we. First up was Kharmin, who had a fear of crowds. She literally burst into tears at the sight of the Tonometry machine.  Sheila Gisetto, saw the scared little girl from across the room and headed to her rescue. She hugged and comforted Kharmin and got her to stop crying.  She asked her if she would mind if she performed the test; after a little pleading she agreed. A few short minutes later, she had completed the test and was able to move her on through the other stations. And the coaster goes up! 

Then there was 6 year old Mario, whose mom found out two years ago that he needed vision correction but couldn’t afford to see a doctor.   His mother found out about OneSight through the school nurse but was bumped from the list at the last minute, because of Mario’s transfer to another school.  She called around to other schools, until she finally reached someone who said “Absolutely! Come on down!” Today, Mario was seen. He definitely needed glasses and we were able to take care of his needs. And the coaster goes up again!

There were a couple of cases where children were refracted with very high Rx, that had never worn glasses. Dr. Mita Rahman shared one of these stories. The story began with a child who Amy Neff had to administer drops to three times in his left eye, before he would dialate. It was later discovered that he had no lens in this eye, due to a previous Cataract Surgery. We were able to help him with glasses that were Plano and +12. The proper referrals were made to MD’s that could further assist. The coaster is rounding the bend.

. . . And then there was the kid who stole the hearts of the whole clinic – Victor. Victor actually came to the clinic last year but due to family issues he was not able to pick up his glasses. He now lives with his 30 year old sister and his mom is out of the picture.  In spite of all that he has gone through, this kid was chipper and so happy to be here! Dottie found him and was glad to escort him through several of the stations.  She was so moved by his story that she and the Lab Team lead by Monica Pang, allowed him to come into the lab and make his own glasses! He was so impressed that he now wants to be an Optician.  As he left with his brand new glasses, he caught Dottie by the hand and asked if she would sign his paper, so that he could keep her with him always.  Ok, get your tissue now – T E A R!

These were just a few of the great stories. The Clinic experience wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the wonderful hospitality of the Lions Club.  These loyal members made sure that we had snacks, drinks and lunch daily.  Oh and the food – words really cannot describe how great it has been.  Today, there was a Chinese buffet from Panda Palace. FABULOUS!!! Monday night, we partook of fresh grilled Mexican cuisine for dinner and an Italian spread for lunch.   

Sarah of Oakley left the clinic with these words: “I cannot believe that our company has such an awesome opportunity available to us, to impact the community in this way. This is great!” Two hundred fifty nine seen and the Lab held their own in production. And the coaster pulls into the gate!

March 1, 2011

San Diego Clinic Gets It Started!

By rwilson

Day one on the San Diego Clinic was a huge success!  We traveled down palm tree lined streets, (passing Jack and Jack in the Box) in beautiful sunny 65 degree weather, to National City CA where the clinic was located.  Our team of 35 core members and 30 volunteers walked through the site and trained on each station.

As the kids began to pile in, they received visual acuity tests, muscle balance evaluations and tonometry, also known as “the puff of fear”!  This is where the anxiety began for some of the little ones, like Narra who needed some extra attention.  She entered the clinic with her mother and older sister.  Tears were brought to her big eyes, with the mere idea of a machine blowing air into her eyes.  We suggested that she try another station and come back.  When she returned it wasn’t much better.  I decided to stay with her through the next couple of stations, until she arrived at the capable hands of Dr. David Brew. 

That was just one cute memorable kid.  There were plenty more – like Carlos.  Carlos followed around one of the Clinic Coordinators Jennifer and let her know that he “wanted new glasses, but couldn’t afford them”.  Then, there was Destiny, whose look would resembled Willow Smith’s mohawk and fashion style.  This pre-teen was somewhat of a leader of her class.  She stood up and announced “Ok guys, let’s get our eyes dialated!”   

Each kid had their own sweetness and trait that made them memorable, but the child who stood out the most, to the most team members was Ruby.  Ruby was a tiny five year old.  She arrived with her mom, wore pink pajama bottoms and had a long brown pony tail.  She spoke no English and had problems at each station.  A puff in the eye – absolutely not!  How about some candy Ruby? She would just stare at you with big brown eyes.  She finally arrived at the Doctor’s Station and came into contact with Dr. Mel (Melanie).    Even though she was not responding, Dr. Mel would not accept her leaving without a complete exam.  She worked with her and finally was able to get a refraction of +7.0 -5, which is a very high Rx.  Had the doctor given up, this little girl would have continued to go through each day, without being able to see.  A huge victory!

After it was all said and done, there were 239 kids seen and the almost 200 pairs of glasses were made in the lab.  We celebrated the birthday of Cindy a LensCrafters General Manager and also a pre-birthday for one of the volunteers.  CAKE FOR EVERYBODY!  We finished off the time at the Camacho Center today with authentic Mexican Cuisine.  Chicken and Steak Tacos, with “real” salsa and Mexican rice.  The colorful ride back to the hotel, gave us some ideas of places to go and spend, spend, spend within walking distance.  Some headed off to 7-11 and some to the mall!  All in all, it was a great start to a promising Clinic.    

February 14, 2011

Just the Beginning

By rwilson

Welcome to the blog for the 2011 San Diego Clinic.  Thirteen days and counting until the life changing events begin!