VOSH-ONE

Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity of New England Winter/Spring 2009-2010

Meet our new VOSH-ONE leader

Dr. Lee Lerner of Waltham, MA, assumed the two-year position of president of VOSH-ONE at our April meeting, held at the New England College of Optometry (NECO) in Boston. Dr. Lerner is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the New England College of Optometry. Dr. Lerner began volunteering with VOSH when he was an optometry student at NECO. Upon graduating, he moved to New Jersey to begin practicing optometry. Despite the demands of a new position, Dr. Lerner took the time to participate in a VOSH trip to Mexico. The team included several NECO students, as well as first-time VOSHer Dr. Leon Ginsburg of Waltham, MA who was getting ready to retire. It was a serendipitous trip in more ways than one since Dr. Lerner wound up purchasing Dr. Ginsburgs practice a year later and returning to the MA area. During the past 15 years, Dr. Lerner has Dr. Lerner presents outgoing devoted president Dr. Derek Feifke a himself to plaque of appreciation. developing his Waltham practice. Still, he has managed to participate in 8 other VOSH trips, serving in Mexico, The Dominican Republic and Costa Rica. During these clinics, Dr. Lerner has served on teams with students from the New England College of
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VOSH-ONE to provide funding for two eye care projects in Afghanistan

By Dr. Bina Patel, Faculty Coordinator, SVOSH-ONE, New England College of Optometry

At our October, 2009 meeting, the VOSH-ONE board agreed to provide partial funding of $8,300 to support two eyecare projects in Afghanistan submitted by Dr. Tom Little, a 2008 graduate of the New England College of Optometry. Total needed to complete the projects is $15,000. We are exploring means of helping Dr. Little raise the rest of the monies needed for these worthwhile initiatives that will provide sustainable eye care, and have a longterm impact on eye care delivery in this country which has been so ravaged by political turmoil, poverty and war. The first project is to establish a day eye care clinic program in Nangahar province, located along the Pakistan border. Nangahar is a major agricultural area and has a population of approximately 5 million. Even in the main city of Jalalabad, curative services are minimal and expensive; in rural regions they are virtually non-existent. The second project is to establish a mid-level Ophthalmic Training Program

Dr. Tom Little screening a patient

to train primary care eye professionals to work in rural and underserved areas of the country where there are no eyecare services at present. Dr. Little is part of a large and comprehensive countrywide ophthalmic project known as the NOOR/IAM Eye Program. See www.iam-afghanistan.org. His main job (as is the case of other expatriots at NOOR) is to train nationals and to facilitate their being able to provide eye care to their own people.
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Student VOSH-ONE serves locally

ings to patients. By Nicole Ross, President, SVOSH-ONE Our student VOSH-ONE group continSharewood offers unscheduled care to ues to help provide eyecare services to the medically underserved populations of the needy around the Boston the greater Boston area. area. This year alone we have Located in the recreation participated in fifteen commuarea of the First Church of nity health fairs and vision Malden, the clinic operates screenings. In addition, as of a Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9:00 few months ago, we have been PM. Sharewood is staffed by providing comprehensive eye volunteer physicians, medNicole Ross, SVOSH examinations in conjunction president (r) and Allison ical students, other health with Tufts Medical School, at profession students, and Stickl, vice-president their free healthcare clinic translators. The clinic pronamed Sharewood. This service began vides clinical, case management and labafter several years of providing screenPlease turn to page 7

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VOSH-ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring, 2009-2010

VOSH-ONE is a chapter of VOSH/ INTERNATIONAL. The organization is dedicated to the preservation of human sight, mainly in developing countries where there is no welfare system. VOSH-ONE accomplishes its goals through its own missions or by assisting other groups with the same purpose.
VOSH-ONE BOARD Dr. Lee Lerner, President eyedoclerner@aol.com Derek Feifke, Imm. Past-President decabs@aol.com Dr. Chris Fields, Vice-President CMJFields@aol.com Dr. Bina Patel, Secretary PatelB@neco.edu Dr. Jennifer DAmico, Membership eyedoctim@aol.com Dr. Joseph DAmico, Treasurer eyeclam@aol.com STATE AND OTHER DIRECTORS: Dr. Monya Elgart, CT Director, monyael@snet.net Dr. James Luccio, MA Co-Director AMOINC@aol.com Dr. Karen Koumjian, MA Co-Director karenkoumjian@worldnet.att.net Dr. Niru Aggarwal, ME Director NrAggarwal@aol.com Dr. Jay Jordan, NH Director, Jfeyecare@aol.com Dr. Jenifer Ambler, VT Director, amblerj@sover.net Bina Patel, OD, NECO Faculty Coordinatior, SVOSH-ONE, PatelB@neco.edu Nicole Ross, SVOSH-ONE president, nicole_ross@neco.edu Sally Howe, Paraoptometric Director mmsthowe@verizon.net Zabelle DAmico, Newsletter Editor eyeclam@aol.com

ABOVE:Dr. Lee Lerner (center) flanked by (L-r) Dr. Bina Patel, Dr. Harry Zeltzer and thirdyear NECO optometry students Nicole Ross and Iris Miller at the VOSH/INTERNATIONAL Annual Meeting held in Orlando, FL on November 15.

From our VOSH-ONE presidents desk...

I began my two-year stint as president of VOSH-ONE with a meeting in October, at the New England College of Optometry in Boston. We had our biggest turnout ever, with many regulars and a lot of new faces, punctuated by some new ideas and a willingness to get involved. We were especially pleased to be able to interact with students from all four classes at the school as well as recent graduates. When we started our chapter of VOSH nearly 15 years ago, one goal was to have better communication between all New England optometrists and students involved with charity eye care. I cant help but feel we have made great strides toward that goal. As you can see by the varied articles in this newsletter, both VOSH/INTERNATIONAL and VOSH-ONE have evolved significantly through the years. It started out with a great mission of visiting underserved areas of the world for a week or two and providing eye exams, medicines and glasses to thousands of needy people. While that remains an important aspect of our work, we are also committed to establishing permanent clinics in areas that are underserved. Towards this goal, we have also gotten involved with training local people to provide eye care services. Our annual meeting of VOSH/INTERNATIONAL took place on Sunday, November 15. VOSH-ONEwas well-represented. I requested additional funding and/or equipment for Dr. Littles project proposals in Afghanistan (See related article page 1). Nicole Ross asked for financial assistance to allow SVOSH-ONEto expand its services with the Sharewood Free Clinic (Her report begins on page 1). Were proud to note that Dr. Patel and Dr. Zeltzer (pictured above), are both current members of the V/I Board. After we made Chapter reports and requests, several more speakers talked about VOSH projects in China, Alabama and Nicaragua, as well as training programs underway around the globe. Theres a lot going on; your help is needed and wanted. Perhaps you have no interest in traveling abroad. Your continued membership and/or donation is in itself a huge contribution to our efforts. Renewal notices will be in the mail shortly. New members are always welcome. To those of you who have been saying that you want to participate in a VOSH trip, there is no time like now. There are no age limits or educational requirements. Anyone willing to work is welcome. Its so easy to make excuses, but it is much more rewarding to actually participate. Contact me at eyedoclerner@aol.com. And, have you thought about donating your not-so-old equipment in good condition, frames or uncut lenses? Perhaps you have other items youre wondering if we can use. Please dont hesitate to contact me at eyedoclerner@aol.com. In closing, Id like to take a moment to thank all current members for the work you have been doing; to everyone else - please get involved. It will change your life and the lives of so many needy people around the globe in ways you can never imagine. Dr. Lee Lerner, President, VOSH-ONE

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Newsletter Winter/Spring, 2009-2010 Page 3

Two cases that stood out

by Chris Fields,OD
Dr. Chris Fields has been committed to bringing eyecare services to Nicaragua for a number of years. The report he filed when he returned home this past February included some specific stories including these two.

Recent/Upcoming VOSH-ONE trips

Please dont hesitate to inquire about taking part in a VOSH-ONE eyecare clinic. If these dates or sites, dont work for you, go to www.VOSH.org for information regarding additional VOSH trips scheduled by other Chapters.

One man stood in line for hours with perfect vision and no eye health problems. His eyes did not tear and itch (the most common thing we hear). He did not have blurry vision. Instead, he explained that he repairs watches and hoped we could help him to see the small parts. Remembering that we had some surgical loupes donated a few years ago, I explained that I might have just what he needed. I dug through my box of low vision aids and brought him a loupe. His face was aglow with excitement! Looking through the loupe, he realized that the focal distance was too far away for him. Un momento, I told him as I went to look somewhere else. As I walked out of the tent, I turned around to see him sitting in his plastic chair on the dirt floor of the black plastic and cardboard tent in which we were working. His Happy with his new magnifiers head was down and his fingers were intertwined, praying that I would return with something that worked. Indeed, I did find another pair and sent him off to the dispensary to have them fitted. He left grinning like a child experiencing his first Christmas. * * * * * A father and three small boys arrived mid afternoon. The oldest child, age 7, was in a baby stroller. Rosbin was born with hydrocephalus water on the brain making his head abnormally large and leaving him physically disabled. The father gently and lovingly lifted him out of the stroller and sat down in front of me. Rosbin cannot hear or speak or move Rosbin and his brothers were delighted wtih the sunglassses they were given after independently. After a few questions, it was clear that this father wanted to know their exams. only if his son could see anything. I examined his eyes and tested his prescription. Taking the trial lenses out of the case, I held them in front of Rosbins eyes. His searching nystagmus ended as he fixated on the face of the person standing next to me and smiled. I explained to the father that I could not test the level of his vision, but yes, he could obviously see. In the dispensary, Rosbin was fitted with a frame so that glasses could be made for him back in the States. He will be able to see the loving faces around him. * * * * *

n Jenifer Ambler, OD, of Vermont continues as leader of the eyecare section of a combined eye/dental care team known more affectionately as the Sight and Bite group. Dr. Amblers team has been active in Suchitoto and Apopa, El Salvador, since the early 1990s. Return dates were November 7 - 14, 2009. See email she posted from Apopa, page 8. For future participation, Contact: amblerj@sover.net n Jay Jordan, OD, and a small team headed for Granada, Nicaragua, November 13-23, 2009. For future participation, contact JFEyecare@aol.com n From January12-22, 2010, faculty members and a team of students from the New England College of Optometry will return to the Bluefields area of Nicaragua to work with Bob Peck, program coordinator of a team of Williams College students. Contact: harbe@neco.edu n A group of ODs will assist a multidisciplinary medical mission (ASAPROSAR) when it returns to Santa Ana and San Miguel, El Salvador, in late January, 2010. Contact: harryizeltzer@comcast.net n Joe DAmico, OD, will lead a small team to the area of El Castillo, Nicaragua, from February 27 to March 6, 2010. Contact eyeclam@aol.com n SVOSH-ONE, the student VOSH group at the New England College of Optometry, is planning a student trip during spring break, April 10-18, 2010. Faculty Advisor is Bina Patel, OD. Contact: PatelB@neco.edu or student leader Nicole_Ross@neco.edu

I wear a handwoven necklace every day. It was tied by a 13-year-old boy I met on the sidewalk in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Every morning as I see this necklace, I am reminded of Michael, the young man struggling to make money for his family, as well as the struggles the people of Nicaragua face every day. I cannot wait to return next year and do this all over again.

Please share this newsletter with your patients and friends. Encourage them to find out more by turning to our Chapter website: www.VOSH-ONE.org and our parent organization website:www.VOSH.org

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VOSH/ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring, 2009-2010

Concord Academy Club for VOSH-ONE

Alexis Cheney is only sixteen years old but she is already a veteran of two VOSH-ONE trips, both under the watchful tutelage of her mom, Dr. Karen Koumjian of Watertown, MA. After returning from Guatemala in late winter, Alexis was fired up to do more, so she sent out a call to classmates at Concord Alexis Cheney assists a Academy Guatemalan woman in through a club the dispensary. expo held at the school. Alexis was so enthusiastic that she managed to get more than fifty of them interested in forming a club to support the work of VOSHONE. Alexis has brainstormed a lengthy potential list of activities, including organizing eyeglasses, books and related equipment drives, learning lensometry, sorting and classifying prescriptions on donated glasses, raising awareness of VOSH-ONE, creating educational pamphlets, holding fundraisers for defraying the cost of VOSH service trips, and possibly even making it possible for a group of students to take part in a VOSH trip. Alexis and her team are now getting 2010 plans for the fledgling organization underway. The longterm impact of Alexiss efforts may well be affected by her own schedule. Come next semester, Alexis will be studying in New York; then shell be off to college. Still, the fact that Alexis is so willing and excited to assume a leadership role in getting a group up and running for the future with so little time to do it in, says a lot about what VOSH has meant to Alexis, and it is a testimonial to her vision for the future. Way to go, Alexis!

VOSH-ONE Mission to Antigua, Guatemala March14 - March 21 2009

by Derek Feifke OD, VOSH-ONE Trip Leader

Sixteen VOSH volunteers traveled to Antigua, Guatemala, from March 14 to 21, 2009. The team included ODs Derek Feifke, ABOVE:Dr. Jennifer DAmico Joe DAmico, Jennifer shares a happy moment with an DAmico, Timothy appreciative teen and her mom. OConnor,Karen RIGHT: Optician Alina Luccio setKoumjian and Jim ting up the dispensary in Pastores Luccio along with Aline Luccio, RDO and 7 ancillary helpers. Martha Julia and Stephen Sellers of Lexington facilitated logistical arrangements in Guatemala and worked tirelessly alongside us each day. Mrs. Sellers is a native Guatemalan. The couple owns a home in Pastores, Guatemala. Clinics were held in the surrounding communities of Pastores, San Bartolo, Vuelta Grande (in the scenic hills at about 7000 feet above sea level), Sta. Maria de Jesus, San Bartolomeo/ Milpas Altas, and at the local Lions Clinic in the beautiful town of Antigua. We examined approximately 1,000 patients and dispensed about 1,600 pairs of eyeglasses. The prescriptions required were a mix of both hyperopic and presbyopic corrections as well as an unusually high number of myopic and astigmatic corrections. Fortunately, we had a large selection of eyeglasses with us and in most cases were able to fill prescriptions.

Dr. Derek Feifke fits a child with her new glasses.

Regarding prescriptions we were unable to proThe trip was a wonderful vide on site, sixty-three success; the highlight of the pairs of eyeglasses were week was the clinic at Sta. fabricated in the US and Maria de Jesus, with many were delivered to the vari- Checking out his new glasses and cases powerful moments and miraous clinics and patients by cles. We were also able to enjoy much Martha Julia and Stephen when they of the scenic beauty of the area with a returned to Guatemala in June. trip to beautiful Lake Atitlan and the Regarding pathology, we encountered Mayan ruins at Iximche Tecpan. All in all patients with cataracts, infectious disit was an unforgettable week.

ease, pterygia, aphakia, trauma, glaucoma and amblyopia. At some clinics we worked with a local ophthalmology resident who compiled lists of patients who needed referral. The prospects for treatment for many of these patients appeared promising. At weeks end we had a large number of eyeglasses and eye medications remaining. These were donated to three local charities including a child care organization, nursing home and a local church group who, in conjunction with physicians, will help distribute the glasses and eye drops appropriately.

VOSH-ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring 2009-2010 Page 5

Student VOSH trip to Bogota, Colombia, April, 2009

by Wendy Crusberg, OD, VOSH-ONE

In April, 2009, the student chapter of VOSH-ONE led an optometric mission to Bogota, Colombia. Four Massachusetts optometrists and fifteen third-year optometry students from the New England College of Optometry (NECO) participated in the trip. With the help and support of the local Colombian optometric association, Student VOSH-ONE was able to provide over one thousand Colombian citizens with free eye health exams, prescription eye glasses, sunglasses, and eye medication as needed as well as make referrals to local experts when appropriate. Over a five-day period, five different clinic sites were set up in poor areas south of Bogota, including Ciudad Bolivar. During that time, Student VOSHONE was able to dispense over fifteen hundred pairs of prescription glasses, one thousand pairs of sunglasses, and facilitate over ninety-three referrals for followup care with local Colombian optometrists and ophthalmologists. Advertisement for the location and dates for the free eye health exams was facilitated via the local newspaper. Video footage was taken of the U.S. Ambassador in Colombia, Mr. William Brownfield, visiting one of the clinic sites and was aired on local Colombian news networks to promote the mission.

We saw approximately two hundred patients for each day of clinic. Optometry students and doctors from La Salle University of Bogota also accompanied Student VOSH-ONE to the clinic sites. They aided in performing refractions and served as translators as needed.

ABOVE:Students Kristin Krummanacher and Alia Khalaf selecting

glasses in the dispensary. BELOW-l:Student Jennie Tran does ophMany of the patients seen had been thalmoscopy on a youth. BELOW-r: Dr. Aparna Raghuram with a young Colombian patient. displaced from their homes due to the vioto be made to correct their refractive lence and political conflict error. These specialty lenses will be made taking place outside of the by the locals and provided to these city of Bogota. patients. Presentations of ocular The Student VOSH-ONE mission to complications due to trauBogota, Colombia was a great success. ma were not uncommon. The local Colombian optometric associaOverall, a wide variety of tion was extremely hospitable to the ocular conditions were Student VOSH-ONE group and the observed. These included patients seen were very appreciative of the care that pterygia, eye infecwas provided them. tions, cataracts,

strabismus, corneal dystrophies, and an assortment of ocular injuries. Highly astigmatic refractive errors were common, with hyperopia being more prevalent than myopia. Sixty-five patients required custom lenses

The need for medical care of any kind is high in Bogota, and Student VOSHONE and the lcal Colombian optometric association hope that this mission will inspire more medical mission trips to Colombia.

Dr. Haydens In-Office Donation Program to benefit VOSH-ONE

Dr. Joel Hayden of Mansfield, MA wanted to do something to help others less fortunate so he came up with the idea of an in-office donation program. For every complete pair of glasses sold in his optometric office, Dr. Hayden now donates another complete pair of reading glasses, eyeglasses, or sunglasses to someone else in need, somewhere around the globe. Taking it a step further with the encouragement of the VOSH-ONE Board, Dr. Hayden has agreed to head up a committee to recruit other optometrists to participate in the program. Dr. Haydens project provides an important collaboration for VOSH-ONE because teams are finding it increasingly costly to fill special prescriptions that must be made back in the US and then sent back to the town where the clinic was held. Further, high plus and high minus prescriptions continue to increase in cost. Teams never seem to have enough sunglasses, especially in Central and South America where so many of the people VOSH serves work long hours under the hot sun in the campos and should be wearing them. We applaud Dr. Haydens initiative and welcome his efforts to expand this worthy program. To learn more, email him at joel@sunwear.com.

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VOSH/ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring 2009-20010

To learn more about us go online:

www.VOSH-ONE.org

VOSH-ONE supports two eyecare projects

More funding needed to complete project cycles
Continued from page 1

New president
Continued from page 1

Optometry, Pacific University College of Optometry and U. of California at Berkeley College of Optometry. In the mid-90s he was one of the four founding members of our Chapter, VOSH-ONE (formerly VOSH-NECO). In addition to his VOSH activities, Dr. Lerner has been active in area Lions Club activities. He is past-president of the Waltham Club and currently serves on their Board of Directors. He is a pastboard member of the District 33K Eyemobile. For many years Dr. Lerner has traveled to Chapters around the state to talk about VOSH activities. Largely through his efforts, a number of Lions Clubs have made annual donations to VOSH-ONE, providing considerable financial support over the years and enabling VOSH-ONE to better serve the needy in third-world countries. Currently, Dr. Lerner serves on the Waltham Board of Health. He also served for 5 years on Walthams Cable Television board.

Initially, Dr. Little trained as an optician; he also holds a Masters Degree in Oriental languages and history. In Afghanistan he speaks Dari and some Pushto, the other main language of this country. Despite political issues, harsh living conditions, and having to leave Afghanistan with his wife and children in difficult times, Dr.Little found himself returning to the country hed come to consider his home. Over the years, Dr. Little has trained persons in manufacturing ophthalmic pharmaceuticals and in ophthalmic dispensing. He has had considerable experience in developing screening programs and delivering eye care, from the community level to the hospital setting. In 2008, Dr. Little and his team saw approximately 270,000 patients, dispensed 30,000 pairs of eyeglasses, provided training for 11ophthalmologists, and held day clinics around Kabul and Jalalabad regularly. In addition, they carried out eight rural education team trips. His goal is to provide additional train-

Dr. Little puts a mom at ease as he checks her child.

ing in this region where eye care professionals are still lacking. His longterm aim is to establish an infrastructure of clinics and providers throughout this country where approximately two-thirds of the population lives in remote and rural areas. For 2010, Dr. Littles plans are to open a new teaching hospital in Kabul, for both ophthalmologists and mid-level professionals, establish an ophthalmic hospital in the Jalalabad region, update the Bamivan provincial eye department and start up a small eye hospital in Maimana. For more information, check our website or contact littlete2@yahoo.com

VOSH-ONE in El Salvador, 2009

by Dr. Joseph A. DAmico, VOSH-ONE

At the end of January, 2009, Dr. Harry Zeltzer and I assisted ASAPROSAR, a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and lay people whove been serving at the same site in Santa Ana, El Salvador, for some 20 years. Dr. Zeltzer saw patients in a newer clinic in San Miguel, El Salvador. I was placed in Santa Ana where the organization estabPost-op patient s waiting to be lished two permanent surgical checked the da y after surgery suites several years ago. Together, our two teams provided over 150 eye surgeries and more than 3,500 eye examinations over five-days. In order to assure sanitary conditions, post-surgery patients are housed overnight in dormitory style accommodations, fed and checked the second day. In addition to providing eye examinations, I did pre-op and post-op work and even translated for one of the young surgeons who didnt know any Spanish.

In March, I traveled to Guatemala with Dr. Derek Feifke and the team he assembled. (See his report on page 4). This was a totally different type of clinic. We saw patients at a variety of locations, including high in the mountains, at a local pre-school, an elementary school and at a clinic site.

Above:Pre-op photo of a child with strabismus

VOSH-ONE Newsletter Winter, Spring 2009-20010 Page 7

Student VOSH-ONE serves Boston area

Continued from page 1

oratory screening services. All services are free and open to everyone. For over three years, the student VOSH group has been providing vision screenings at the clinic once a month, under the supervision of Dr. Michael Ruby. There has been substantial demand to provide full comprehensive care to this underserved community. Since the mission of VOSH has always been to provide underserved communities with eye care, there was no better place for us to establish our first, free, student-run eye clinic. Aside from the Sharewood project, VOSH-ONE has provided care to approximately 300 individuals from our local area and assisted them in accessing Mass Health services. We have also continued our fundraising efforts. Thus far we have raised a significant portion of funds required for the annual trip (April 10 18, 2010) and we are continuing to fundraise to support our eyecare clinic at Sharewood. Fundraising events have included meet the upperclassmen, grad school mixer, raffles, and bake sales. Student VOSH-One has also received additional support from the student council and the New England College of Optometry at various student event activities. At the American Academy of Optometry meeting in Orlando, Florida, Dr. Wendy Crusberg, past-student VOSH-ONE president, presented a poster entitled, An Aid to Humanitarian

Missions: Analysis of Demographics, Ocular Disease, and Refractive Status of Subsets of the Dominican Republic and Colombia This report can be viewed at www.aaopt.org or on our website: www.VOSH-ONE.org. Our parent organization VOSH/INTERNATIONAL held its annual meeting on Sunday, November 15 in Orlando, FL immediately following the American Academy meeting. The meeting was attended by approximately 65 people representing various chapters in the US, Netherlands and Nigeria. I presented a report on Chapter activities and on present and future projects. Included was a proposal for funding to allow our SVOSH-ONEChapter to expand our services at the Sharewood Free Clinic; it is now under consideration. We need the funds to purchase additional equipment, and provide continued maintenance. Additionally, we are pleased to report that the tenth year of collaboration with the Massachusetts Correctional Institution (MCI) in Norfolk, MA is as strong as ever. See accompanying article, Prison Recycling Program update elsewhere on this page. Over these past few months the student VOSH group has been incredibly active and although the clinic site has yet to be chosen, we look forward to a successful student VOSH-ONE trip in April 2010.

Prison Recycling Project update

Where to send donations, how to request recycled glasses for VOSH trips
By Nicole Ross, SVOSH-ONE President

When the VOSH-ONE prison recycling program got underway some ten years ago, two inmates were trained to neutralize used glasses with automatic lensometers, to discard any scratched or damaged pairs and to organize recycled glasses based on prescription. More recently, student VOSH-ONE has been tapped to collaborate with Mike Devine, Director of Treatment at MCI, to ensure the two prison volunteers have enough glasses to spend 2-3 hours per day neutralizing and to keep the project going. Last year Mike was kind enough to allow a few of us to take a tour of the facility and assist the men in developing the best organizational strategy for the recycled glasses. We are looking forward to visiting again this year and bringing along some pictures from the student mission to Colombia. Due to limited storage space at the New England College of Optometry, Mike has agreed to accept boxes of donated glasses at the institution via mail or direct delivery. If you have any donations or recycled glasses that you would like to send to the prison, please contact Mike Devine at (508) 660-5900 ext.254 or via e-mail at Michael.Divine@state.ma.us Student VOSH-ONE organizes the collection of the neutralized and sorted glasses from the prison. We have an abundance of glasses in our storage room and we are happy to share. Any VOSH members planning upcoming missions in need of recycled glasses please contact student VOSH-ONE Vice- President, Allison Stickl, at allison_stickl@neco.edu with a list of desired Rxs and we will set them aside for you. Since September we have put together boxes for a project in Afghanistan and for the upcoming Williams College mission to Nicaragua.

Two student scholarships to be offered

VOSH-ONE has benefitted significantly by the dedication, support and enthusiasm provided by student VOSHONE participants at the New England College of Optometry. We are proud to announce that beginning in 2010, we will be awarding two scholarships annually, one for a third-year optometry student, and one for a fourth-year optometry student at the New England College of Optometry. Each scholarship will be for $750. To be eligible, students must submit a completed application, a current college transcript, a curriculum vitae, two recommendations and a completed questionnaire/essay. Eligibility is also contingent on the student remaining at NECO the following school year. Winners will be notified at the end of March and presentation of the awards will be made at graduation. Named to the reviewing committee are Dr. Walter Potaznick, Dr. Derek Feifke, Dr. Cathy Coffey, Dr. Andrea Murphy and whoever is serving as current president of VOSHONE. For further information, contact Dr. Walter Potaznick: potaznickw@neco.edu

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VOSH/ONE Newsletter Winter/Spring 2009-2010

VOSHers lend a hand during emergency

Dr. Jenifer Ambler and a small team of eye doctors and dentists were holding clinics in Apopa, El Salvador, in early November when a flash flood hit the area. Following is an excerpt of an e-mail posted by Dr. Ambler on November 8.

Dra. Rosa Elena Bello honored at Simmons

Dra. Rosa Elena Bello, Director of the Centro de Salud in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, received an honorary doctoral degree from Simmons College during its graduation ceremony in June. While she was here, a reception was held in her honor at the Newton home of Dr. David and Margaret Gullette. Scores of people who have worked with Dra. Bello and her brigadistas, turned out to celebrate this womans succesful collaborations that have enabled her to make health care services, literacy programs and basic computer skills available to so many Nicas in southern Nicaragua. Shown in the above photo L-r: Dr. Joseph A. DAmico, who led the first VOSH-ONE (VOSH-NECO) trip to provide eyecare at Dra. Bellos clinic in the mid 1990s, Dra. Rosa Elena Bello, her husband Chepito, and Margaret Gullette. Margarets husband David is a Simmons faculty member (recently retired). The couple has been tirelesly dedicated to assisting Dra. Bello and the people of this area through the Newton Sister City Project for many years.

tom end of the road were totally destroyed and the debris was buried under a thick layer of mud. Power lines were hanging into the road and several poles were washed into the river, so it will be some time before electricity is This is the neighborhood of Apopa restored. which was hit by a flash flood last Instead of our planned clinic today, we night. It rained hard for 3 hours, and the spent the day helping Pastor Francisco. waters peaked here We took our bus to a big around 2 am. Luckily, store for supplies of rice, someone heard and saw beans, cornmeal, chlorine the water rising in time to purify water, etc. The to alert everyone so all church committee is makhere survived, even if ing arrangements for some their homes and posseshomeless people to sleep in sions suffered. Last we the church, and a group is heard, the death toll for preparing meals for those El Salvador is around whose food and kitchen ABOVE: Dark area on the wall 150. near roof line shows the height of equipment are ruined. It appears, based on the water from the flash flooding Tomorrow morning we will where debris was in in this part of Apopa. stop at a big hardware store trees, that the water in the city to see about renting or buying rose in this steep ravine 30 to 40 feet a generator to run the clinic. above the riverbed. Homes at the bot-

VOSH-ONE
Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity of New England

Please join VOSH-ONE and help provide the gift of sight to needy individuals in other countries as well as within our own borders. All VOSH-ONE members are members of VOSH/INTERNATIONAL. Whether you are interested in taking trips, making a donation, have glasses and equipment to offer or just want to be informed of our projects, we value your support. VOSH-ONE is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Annual dues, just

To pay online, visit our website: www.VOSHONE.org or you can sen d your tax-deductible check payable to:

VOSH-ONE Joe DAmico, Treasurer PO Box 41 Holden, MA 01520

Joint Mission to Nicaragua in January

Williams College, in collaboration with the New England College of Optometry (NECO),will be embarking on their annual eyecare trip to the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua from January 12 to 22, 2010. Williams College faculty advisor is Bob Peck. NECO faculty member Dr. Elise Harbe will direct students and other Boston area optometrists in providing eyecare to some 3,000 Nicaraguans in this region. For further information, harbe@neco.edu

$40

Enclosed is an additional donation of

$______________ to further the work of

VOSH-ONE.

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