University & High School Chapters in North America
Unite For Sight Community Fellows Are Young Leaders of Social Change
University (Undergraduate, Public Health, Optometry, and Medical Students) and High School Students
Our staff works closely with the leader of each chapter to establish effective, high-impact programs. Our research, experience, and evaluation has enabled us to develop a highly successful program that ensures that patients receive the highest quality of care.
What are Unite For Sight chapters?
Unite for Sight chapters are established by college students, medical students, public health and other graduate students, as well as by high school students. Unite For Sight offers a unique opportunity to bring an international nonprofit organization to your community or campus. As a Unite For Sight leader, you will empower your local community to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness.
Unite For Sight's university chapter volunteers are referred to as Community Fellows. The Fellows are trained to reduce barriers to care by serving as advocates for community members. Community Fellows educate community members about the importance of receiving regular eye exams to prevent blindness. They connect community members with resources so that they can receive a complete eye exam through professional organizations such as American Academy of Ophthalmology (EyeCare America) and American Optometric Association (VisionUSA). By connecting community members with available free care by eye care professionals, the Community Fellows are helping community members to eliminate preventable blindness.
In addition to community-based screening and education events, Unite For Sight provides global health and development training to its Community Fellows. The volunteers learn about, understand, and advocate for Unite For Sight's mission to apply best practices in public health and volunteerism in our goal of high quality eye care for all. The chapters fundraise to provide sight-restoring eye care in developing countries. 100% of the funds raised provide sight-restoring surgeries for patients living in extreme poverty.
Unite For Sight's high school chapters focus on eliminating preventable blindness through eye health education programs and raising funds to sponsor sight-restoring eye care in developing countries.
Who can start a chapter?
Any undergraduate, public health, optometry, medical, graduate, or high school student in North America is eligible to apply to start a chapter of Unite For Sight.
As a Community Fellow, what will I do?
You will participate in Unite For Sight's community-based programs to eliminate preventable blindness. Unite For Sight's programs are held in community centers such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens, schools, libraries, and health clinics. You will also raise funds to sponsor sight-restoring surgeries for patients living in extreme poverty in Ghana, Honduras, and India.
Where does Unite For Sight have chapters?
A complete list of Unite For Sight's chapters during the 2009-2010 academic year can be seen online at http://www.uniteforsight.org/start-a-chapter/list
How do I start a chapter of Unite For Sight?
- Submit an application to start a chapter
- If your application is approved, Unite For Sight will contact you, schedule a phone conversation with you, and work with you to establish a chapter of Unite For Sight
- Recruit students to be Commmunity Fellows. All Comunity Fellows must complete online Community Impact Training through a personal volunteer login page.
- Community Impact Training: Volunteers are trained in community problem solving by Unite For Sight's pioneering training program, which includes Unite For Sight's Volunteer Ethics and Professionalism Online Course, Cultural Competency Online Course, Eye Health Online Course, Global Health Online Course, and Evidence-Based Community Eye Health Online Course
- Program Training: Read and Sign Chapter Manual, Chapter Volunteer Quiz, and Training Video
- Assign an optometrist or ophthalmologist as the chapter's advisor.
- To obtain permission to establish a chapter and to use Unite For Sight's name, chapters must sign a Chapter Charter and adhere to Unite For Sight's Chapter Coordinator Manual.
- Collaborate with community centers (soup kitchens, clinics, homeless shelters, schools, preschools) so that you can hold evidence-based public health programs.
- Fundraise to sponsor sight-restoring eye care in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
All Unite For Sight Community Fellows are required to complete Community Impact Training, and only those who have completed the training are Unite For Sight volunteers. Chapters are required to hold two community-based programs per month, have biweekly phone conversations with Unite For Sight staff, and submit monthly updates online about chapter activities.
Unite For Sight chapters are established only after an individual or group first applies to start a chapter, works with Unite For Sight to establish the chapter, and after the officers and advisor sign the chapter charter. The Unite For Sight name, logo and materials are protected by copyright and trademark laws worldwide. The use by unapproved groups of the Unite For Sight name, logo and materials constitutes the infringement of our trademarks and copyrights, which carries the potential for serious legal consequences. Licenses to those important intellectual properties are available only to groups that comply with our organization's legitimate and appropriate requirements.
How are North America chapters involved in Unite For Sight's international programs?
- Community Fellows involved with North America chapters frequently apply to participate in Unite For Sight's Global Impact Corps programs as well.
- Unite For Sight's partner ophthalmologists and ophthalmic nurses visit universities and speak for many of the North America chapters.
- Chapters fundraise at least $300 each year. 100% of the fundraising efforts provide poor patients with free eye care and sight-restoring surgeries. Each cataract surgery costs $50 on average, so every dollar raised makes a tremendousl impact on the lives of children and adults. Additionally, fundraising efforts help to create public awareness about global eye care needs.
To help with fundraising efforts, Unite For Sight creates a personal donation fundraising page for all of its volunteers as well as for all of its chapters. Unite For Sight's volunteers are very successful with their fundraising initiatives, and it requires very little of a volunteer's time since they only need to email their fundraising website link to friends and family. As their friends and family submit donations, Unite For Sight automatically records the donations and sends an email to the volunteer as each donation arrives. All donors also receive a receipt for tax purposes, and the donations are tax-deductible to the full extent provided by U.S. law.
Ghana volunteer Jackie Madison discusses the impact of fundraising on her Unite For Sight experience.
Ophthalmic nurse Kartee Karloweah discusses the importance of collecting eyeglasses, fundraising, and volunteering to eliminate preventable blindness