EFA's Vision is an important part of the Foundation's communication with donors, patients, and volunteers. Below is the latest newsletter in web format. You can download the print version. You can also download older editions of Vision in the Articles Archives as they become available.
EFA's VISION
Newsletter of the Eye Foundation of America
Winter 2009/2010
DONOR KNOWS EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS
Most people feel that if they don’t donate “enough,” they shouldn’t donate at all. But Linda Feretti, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has another approach.
She visits Ophthalmologist V.K. Raju twice a year for glaucoma and makes a five-dollar donation to the Foundation each time. (Raju is EFA’s Founder and Medical Director.) She calls Raju her “guardian angel,” in reference to the sight-saving glaucoma and cataract surgery he performed on her several years ago. “Without it, “she says, “I would be blind.”
The message in this story is that donations need not be large. This is particularly good advice today, when economic futures are uncertain. A small donation is better than none—and every gift counts!
FUNDRAISER MARKS FOUNDATION'S 30th YEAR
It had been rainy and cold the previous week, but the sky cleared on October 3rd, 2009, the day of the EFA’s Annual Fundraiser.
Sunshine illuminated the hills and vineyards at the Forks of Cheat Winery, near Morgantown, West Virginia, creating a beautiful backdrop for EFA friends and donors who attended the event. Ken Tuck, MD, Past President of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, was the featured speaker for the evening. He spoke on the topic “Avoidable Blindness.” Foundation President Jay Reddy welcomed guests and spoke briefly about his role.
Reddy is the founder and former CEO of ProLogic, Inc., a company that delivers technology solutions to the U.S. government. He led the company through a merger last year, and is now its Chairman. He has been active with the Foundation for nearly a decade. His special interest is promoting children’s access to education. Reddy believes education equalizes opportunity for children throughout the world.
More than 75 guests sipped wine and sampled finger foods donated by Ali Baba, a local restaurant, and participated in a silent auction of gifts from all over the world. Local songstress Karen Bright provided entertainment.
Our thanks to Winery owner/operator Jerry Deal and to Elias Hishmeh, owner of Ali Baba, for the assortment of wines and appetizers served at the event. We also extend our gratitude to The Dominion Post, KLM Properties Inc., and the Centra and BB&T Banks of Morgantown. We are very pleased to have had J.V.S SubbaRao, MD, a physiatrist and experienced medical administrator from Chicago, as an advisor and supporter to the EFA for the past two years. In 2009 EFA received support from all parts of the country: Chicago, New Orleans, Detroit, and Dallas. We would like to extend special thanks to Mrs. Subba Hota, Sanjeeva Reddy, MD; Ravi Jandhyala, MD; Pundari C’Ganti, MD, and Adisesha Reddy, MD, for their involvement and leadership. For the EFA, this is just the beginning!
FAMILY FINDS HELP AT GOUTAMI
The Bangaru family, five children and their parents, lived in a remote village in India, far from medical care. So when all five children were born with cataracts that limited their vision, medical care was simply not an option. But a concerned man who pulled a rickshaw in the village told the staff at Goutami Eye Institute about the Bangaru children. Goutami Institute is an EFA-funded eye hospital located in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh.
The Goutami staff transported the children to the Institute and G. Madhavi, MD, surgically removed the cataracts, restoring their lost vision. Now there is a much larger chance that the Bangaru children will have the same opportunities as children elsewhere, thanks to the Eye Foundation of America and the Goutami Eye Institute.
NEELIMA, BEFORE AND AFTER
Her name is Neelima, and when we first saw her she didn’t have too much to smile about. She had cataracts in both eyes. Many of us think of cataracts as something that develops late in life, but Neelima’s cataracts appeared at birth, and are common in the developing world. Imagine how vision loss in the formative years restricts a child. Development is slow and education is difficult. Cataracts are easy to remove, with surgery, but for many that surgery is too far away and/or too expensive.The result is a lifetime of missed opportunities. Thankfully, we removed Neelima’s cataracts. Now she has quite a bit to smile about!
PRICELESS GIFTS THAT KEEP ON GIVING
EFA JOINS HOPKINS TO RESEARCH VITAMIN A
The EFA has joined forces with renowned Johns Hopkins University on a major research project to prevent childhood blindness resulting from Vitamin A deficiency, a leading cause of blindness throughout the world.
The project’s goal is to analyze how well vitamin A is currently distributed in each country and then improve that distribution. The analysis has already been conducted in five of 14 countries that will be part of the study: Nepal, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and India.
“A small dose of vitamin A administered to a child twice a year can prevent blindness for only about 50 cents a dose,” says V.K. Raju, EFA Founder and Medical Director. “The return on that investment is a priceless gift of sight, which will accompany a child many years into the future.“
He says there are very few situations where such a small gift can return so many rewards. The gift of sight provides a child with a means to learn and eventually find a role in society. Without it, a blind child in a developing country has few options. One small donation yields a lifetime of benefits.
PAYCHECK IS PAYBACK FOR NEW LIFE
After receiving a doctoral degree in pharmaceutical studies from Rutgers University, Srinu Maddulla landed a good job with a major corporation.
The next step? Donating his first paycheck to the Eye Foundation of America. Maddula’s relationship with the Foundation dates back to 1984, when he was two years old--and legally blind. He needed corneal transplants to restore his sight. His family had brought him from India to Morgantown, West Virginia, to see ophthalmologist Dr. V.K. Raju. Maddula's transplants were free, courtesy of the Foundation, and Raju assumed some related costs with assistance from Monongalia General Hospital. Maddula never forgot the Eye Foundation of America, or Dr. Raju.
So when he had the money, it was time for payback. He attended the 2008 EFA Fundraiser to let others know how the Foundation had restored his sight and therefore, his life. “If it wasn’t for the Foundation,” he said, “I would not be here. I would not be talking to you. I would be blind.”
“You feel blessed when something like this happens,” says Raju, recalling Maddula’s donation. “Sometimes you have to catch a child within the first weeks or months of life and do the surgery. You give them 75 years plus. No other medical or surgical project can match this.”
Tackling the problem of childhood blindness is a major goal of the Foundation. Raju points out that as much as 80 percent of a child’s learning is visual.
DONATION INFO
"During these globally challenging times, we are especially grateful for all the good tidings that come our way.” --Sekhar Vemparala, Longtime Patron of the Eye Foundation of America
If you would like to donate to the EFA, please visit our Donations page, or send us the following information:
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Remember:All contributions are income tax deductible. (Tax exempt # 55-0621735.)
Please send your donation to:
The Eye Foundation of America
3140 Collins Ferry Road, Morgantown, WV 26505
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