ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition Donates to Unite For Sight

ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition donated more than 800 eyeglasses to Unite For Sight's international eye care programs while filming an episode in Bergenfield, New Jersey. The episode involves Oscar winner Marlee Matlin and the show's design team rebuilding a home for a blind father and his family members, including two visually impaired children, a child who is deaf, and his mother who is blind.

In addition to making a tremendous difference by building a new home for the family, the producers of Extreme Makeover Home Edition also organized an eyeglass drive for Unite For Sight. The show's producer JP Gilbert secured 600 donated new eyeglass frames from Marchon, Safilo, and other eyeglass manufacturers. The community also generously donated their used eyeglasses at a community concert that drew thousands of people to hear the 4-time Grammy Award Winning singing group The Blind Boys of Alabama.

Hosted by Marlee Matlin, the concert also featured a short speech by Jennifer Staple, Founder, President, and CEO of Unite For Sight. The Extreme Makeover Home Edition episode, which will air on a 2-hour special during July 2006, will include Jennifer's speech.

"We are very grateful to Extreme Makeover Home Edition for their generosity and their incredible work rallying the community of Bergenfield to donate their eyeglasses to our partner eye clinics in Sierra Leone and Ghana. Over 1 billion people in developing countries need eyeglasses, but cannot afford them," said Jennifer. "Over 4 million eyeglasses are thrown away each year in North America. These eyeglasses are very important to the communities where we work abroad, and we're looking forward to sharing photos and messages of thanks with the Bergenfield community after the eyeglasses are prescribed by the optometrists and ophthalmologists abroad."

Marlee Matlin (left) and Jennifer Staple (right) on ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition

About Unite For Sight

Unite For Sight® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers communities worldwide to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness. Local and visiting volunteers work with partner eye clinics to provide eye care in communities without previous access, with the goal of creating eye disease-free communities. Additionally, vision screening and education programs are implemented worldwide by volunteers working in ninety chapters established at universities in North America, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

For further information:

Unite For Sight
www.uniteforsight.org
Email: JStaple@uniteforsight.org