Unite For Sight—

Giving The World An Opportunity To See More Clearly

By Larissa Lytwyn

Jennifer Staple, 23-year-old founder and CEO of Unite for Sight, a nonprofit organization that recently went international, never imagined that her once-local effort would have such far-reaching consequences.

Unite for Sight aims to empower communities worldwide through eye health education as well as working to eradicate preventable blindness.

During the summer of 2000, Ms Staple, a 1999 graduate of Newtown High School, worked as a clinical researcher of glaucoma at Danbury Eye Physicians.

“I saw firsthand the impact of neglected eye health,” she said, “Too often, the result would be blindness that could have been prevented!”

Glaucoma, for example, happens so slowly that sufferers often do not realize they are losing their sight until their condition abruptly worsens.

In the fall of 2000, Ms Staple, then a 19-year-old sophomore pre-med student at Yale University, founded Unite for Sight, a New Haven-based nonprofit seeking to prevent blindness through free community vision screenings and public education about eye disease.

“Through my work at Danbury Eye, I developed a true passion for ophthalmology,” said Ms Staple. “It was very exciting to be able to put my knowledge into action.”

The organization quickly grew as Ms Staple garnered increasing support from her Yale peers and professors, as well as area ophthalmologists.

“There was a lot of networking involved,” Ms Staple said. “The amount of enthusiasm and dedication everyone had for Unite for Sight made me even more passionate about continuing it, and, eventually, expanding it.”

By 2001, the organization had acquired its 501(k) status as a legally recognized nonprofit.

In addition to receiving initial funding from Yale and the Cure Glaucoma Foundation through Johns Hopkins University, Ms Staple acquired grants and partnerships through organizations including the International Federation of Medical Students Association, Youth Service America, and the American Public Health Association.

The community vision screenings and public education expanded into charitable drives for sunglasses and eyeglasses.

With the establishment of the organization’s website, the possibilities, said Ms Staple, seemed truly limitless.

“Through the web, more and more people were able to access information about Unite for Sight and become involved,” she said.

Over the course of 2001 and 2002, university Unite for Sight chapters sprung up at universities around the country.

At the same time, said Ms Staple, interested volunteers did not have to be associated with a university or be involved in medicine to become involved.

“Founders of community chapters simply had a desire to become involved,” said Ms Staple. “They are the catalysts for organizing drives for sunglasses and eyeglasses or coordinating medical teams’ trips to communities in need in other countries.”

Practicing physicians and medical students comprise the majority of volunteers who travel to other countries to administer eye exams, educate community members on eye health, and distribute sunglasses and eyeglasses.

While such volunteers have to provide their own airfare, Unite for Sight helps coordinate their room and board through partnering with international relief organizations and nonprofits. Volunteers often stay with host families for as short a period as two weeks to as long as six months for a mission.

Chapters currently exist in 23 states, from California and Michigan to New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Over the past year, 90 chapters have emerged in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America as well as Canada.

The organization’s approximately 4,000 volunteers from around the world convene at an annual conference. The first conference was held last April at New York University. The 2005 conference will take place April 2 and April 3 at Harvard.

“It’s fantastic being able to meet with people you’ve been interacting with through the phone and through email for so long,” said Ms Staple.

During the annual conference, Unite for Sight also invites prospective volunteers to visit and learn how to become involved with the organization. Potential volunteers submit a resume highlighting their skills.

These skills, Ms Staple said, represent a diversity of professions in everything from graphic design to human resources.

Approved applicants study an introductory manual to eye health and screening information that is accessible through the Unite for Sight website.

The website also offers information for volunteers interested in beginning a new Unite for Sight chapter.

“The New Haven initiative provided me with a useful model for volunteers interested in starting new chapters,” said Ms Staple.

In addition to university and community chapters, there are also high school chapters.

“There is a lot people can do at any level,” said Ms Staple. High schoolers, for example, can hold fundraisers and drives for eyeglasses and sunglasses.

There is a section on the Unite for Sight website specifically aimed at teens interested in becoming involved, as well as for parents.

This fall, Ms Staple will begin pursuing a career in ophthalmology at Stanford University after two years of teaching AP and regular-level science courses at Greens Farms Academy in Westport.

“This spring, we are looking to hire our first-ever paid employee, a new CEO!” said Ms Staple.

Over the years, Ms Staples has received a number of recognitions and awards. In 2002, she was selected as one of Glamour magazine’s top ten college women. She has also been recognized by international nonprofits the Global Youth Initiative and the Youth Action Network for her tireless vision and dedication to preventing blindness.

Looking back at the birth of Unite for Sight in 2000, Ms Staple said she never thought the organization would grow so big so quickly.

“I learned that through starting small, big things are really possible,” she said.

For more information on Unite for Sight, visit www.uniteforsight.org.