Perspectives Winter 2016

A PUBLICATION OF SAVING SIGHT

Eyeglass Recycling Expands with Opening of New Lions Volunteer Center Champion of Donation Ginny Crow Making a Difference: KidSight Volunteer Reaches Huge Milestone Sight of 87-Year-Old Woman Restored with First Pair of Eyeglasses Your Will and Future Charitable Giving

WINTER 2016

Leadership Tony Bavuso Chief Executive Officer Donna Bradford, MBA Chief Financial Officer Patrick Gore, RN Senior Director of Business Development Annie Kuhl, MA Chief Communications Officer Tina Livesay, CEBT Chief Operating Officer Jackie Malling, RN, CEBT Chief Strategy Officer Shelly Rasley, CEBT Chief Technical Officer Michala Stoker, RN, BSN Partner Relations Director Michael Titus, CEBT Chief Clinical Officer

Editorial Christopher Polley, MA Director of Communications Jason Noland, CFRE Director of Development Paul Coleman Graphic Designer

Office Locations Columbia, MO 404 Portland St. Columbia, MO 65201 Hutchinson, KS 2 East 12th Ave. Hutchinson, KS 67501 Kansas City, MO 10100 N. Ambassador Dr. Suite 200 Kansas City, MO 64153 Springfield, IL 400 Chatham Rd. Suite 103 Springfield, IL 62704 Springfield, MO 3506 Culpepper Circle Suite D Springfield, MO 65804

From Our CEO At Saving Sight, we take pride in the fact that we pursue our mission to change lives by saving sight with a broad range of services. Through eye donation we help donors give the life-changing gift of sight to recipients of all ages. Our KidSight program helps save the sight of children at risk for vision loss through early detection. The Eyeglass Recycling Program helps restore sight for young and old alike simply by providing those in need with a no-cost pair of recycled eyeglasses.

Thanks to a new partnership with nonprofit ReSpectacle and the construction of the Lions Volunteer Center, we have grown the Eyeglass Recycling Program to change more lives through our charitable vision programs. In this issue, you’ll read about how we’re expanding distribution of recycled eyeglasses to include people here in the U.S. and learn about lives changed by this sight-saving program. You’ll also read about individuals who have championed our mission and truly changed lives through their engagement with the work of Saving Sight.

Over the last few years, we’ve been fervent in pursuing grant opportunities to help us grow our charitable programs and change even more lives each year.

But gifts from individuals have also been instrumental in helping expand the reach of our programs. As this season of giving comes to a close, I encourage you to consider making a financial gift to Saving Sight. Your support truly can help change lives.

Enjoy this issue of Perspectives. We at Saving Sight are wishing you and your loved ones a prosperous new year.

Sincerely,

St. Louis, MO 10801 Pear Tree Lane Suite 170 St. Ann, MO 63074

Contact

Tony Bavuso Chief Executive Officer

General Information: 800-753-2265 24-Hour Donor Services Center: 800-331-2636 Media Inquiries: 816-255-1321 pr@saving-sight.org /WeAreSavingSight @WeSaveSight /WeAreSavingSight

Perspectives | Page 2

Saving Sight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to change lives by saving sight. Founded in Columbia, MO in 1960, the organization introduced the gift of sight to Missouri. Today, Saving Sight operates vision health programs that serve more than 100,000 people worldwide with offices located in Missouri, Kansas, and central Illinois.

Champion of Donation: Ginny Crow Bothwell Regional Health Center was one of 30 hospitals awarded this year with Saving Sight’s Excellence in Eye Donation Award, celebrating its work and partnership in achieving a 47 percent consent rate for donation. As a result 17 individuals received the gift of sight from donors at Bothwell in 2014.

Great achievements like Bothwell’s are a result of leadership from champions who are passionate about building a hospital culture that embraces the mission of enhancing and saving lives through donation.

As Chief Nursing Officer at Bothwell, Ginny Crow leads the hospital’s nursing supervisory staff, who are well-versed in their role to facilitate the gift of eye donation alongside Saving Sight. Ginny works to build an organizational culture that embraces donation, focusing efforts to maintain an ongoing dialogue about donation and associated goals at all levels within the hospital. She shares performance data with the hospital’s Quality and Patient Safety Committee on a quarterly basis, while also engaging medical staff members in multi-channel communication about donation. Likewise, she and her staff regularly discuss the importance of focusing communications through the right channels -- especially when it comes to playing a role in facilitating donation.

Ginny’s dedication to enhancing lives through donation is also a personal one. She is a tissue recipient, having received bone tissue in a back surgery. She is also a donor family member who has experienced how a loved one’s gift of corneal donation was able to allow others to see. Those personal experiences fuel Ginny’s passion to lead a team in helping others.

The staff at Saving Sight thank Ginny and her team at Bothwell Regional Health Center for their dedication in enhancing the lives of others through cornea donation and transplantation.

Eyeglass Recycling Expands with Opening of New Lions Volunteer Center Saving Sight’s Eyeglass Recycling Program expanded this fall with the opening and dedication of the new Lions Volunteer Center in Saving Sight’s Columbia, Missouri office on October 3. The center will provide community volunteers the opportunity to actively engage in the work of recycling the approximately 60,000 pairs of donated used glasses Saving Sight receives each year.

the country. Volunteers will use new, state-of-the-art equipment at the Lions Volunteer Center to clean donated glasses and read prescriptions. Recycled eyeglasses will support Lions Mission Clinics coordinated by Missouri Lions in partnership with Saving Sight and provide no-cost used eyeglasses to people in the United States with a prescription through respectacle.org.

Glasses recycled at the center are donated by local Lions clubs who collect glasses in communities across Saving Sight’s service region and individuals who send used glasses to Saving Sight from across

Construction of the facility and equipment to facilitate the eyeglass recycling process was made possible in part by a $26,000 matching grant from Lions Club International Foundation. To date, Missouri Lions and affiliated organizations have contributed an additional $17,500 toward the project.

Sign up to help recycle used eyeglasses at the Lions Volunteer Center and become an active part of our mission to change lives by saving sight. Learn more about the center and how you can support our efforts by visiting saving-sight.org/lions-volunteer-center.

Perspectives | Page 3

Making a Difference: KidSight Volunteer Reaches Huge Milestone

Watch Becky’s story at saving-sight.org or scan the QR code with your mobile device.

When it comes to Saving Sight’s mission to change lives by saving sight, volunteers have the ability to make a big impact. Lion Becky Henderson of the St. Charles Lions Club knows as well as anyone just how big of an impact after nearly 16 years volunteering with Saving Sight as a KidSight vision screener.

In September, Becky screened the vision of her 50,000th child during a screening at Mercy Child Development Center in St. Louis. She’s passionate about healthy childhood vision, and she’s taken an active role in making a difference for children in her community.

Oberbeck, KidSight Program Manager. “For 15 years she’s been out in the community screening children day-in and day-out. Each year Becky gives as much of her time to the program as the year before because she’s passionate about preventing vision loss for kids.”

Becky has been involved with Saving Sight’s KidSight program since its inception. In the mid-1990’s, her late husband Wayne, Past International Director of Lions Clubs International, attended a presentation at St. Louis Children’s Hospital where he learned about a new camera that could detect risk factors for possible vision loss in children. After learning about the new cameras, Wayne became the driving force behind Saving Sight, then the Missouri Lions Eye Research Foundation, establishing a screening program across Missouri to identify children at-risk for vision loss.

Following her retirement, Becky began screening children in December of 1999 and hasn’t taken time off from volunteering since.

“Becky’s passion for promoting healthy childhood vision is an inspiration to the entire Saving Sight team,” Bavuso said. “She’s been integral to the success of our KidSight program since its start, and the program wouldn’t have the impact it does in St. Louis today if it weren’t for her dedicated service.”

“It’s incredible to me how dedicated Becky has been as a volunteer in this program,” said Tamara Perspectives | Page 4

Becky has had a busy fall, conducting 21 more screenings since her big day in September and recruiting other volunteers to assist in promoting screenings at St. Louis Science Center’s HealthFest.

Saving Sight CEO Tony Bavuso said Becky’s dedication is inspiring for staff across the organization.

In October, Becky was recognized with an award of appreciation for her accomplishment before the MD 26 Council of Governors, but Becky says knowing the difference she makes in the lives of children is reward enough for the work she does every day.

“If we can help correct a child’s vision before they ever get to school, we have done such a great service,” Becky said. “To know that for some children wearing glasses their sight was saved because I took the time to do a screening, that’s special.”

Sight of 87-Year-Old Woman Restored with First Pair of Eyeglasses Claudia loved to sew by hand. Like many women in Mexico who make clothes for their families, however, sewing for Claudia was more than a hobby. Sewing was an essential life skill. At 87 years old, Claudia’s eyesight had deteriorated to the point she could no longer thread a needle, making it impossible for her to repair clothes she had made over the years.

In the remote town of Chiltepec in Mexico’s Oaxaca region, Claudia didn’t have access to eyeglasses.

There was no local eye doctor she could visit, nowhere to find spectacles that could help her get back to sewing. So when a Jefferson City, Missouri group set up an eyeglass clinic in her town, Claudia showed up hoping to get her sight back.

Volunteers from Concord Baptist Church fit Claudia with her first pair of eyeglasses, and before leaving the free clinic Claudia was able to thread a sewing needle thanks to her new spectacles. The glasses were a pair of used eyeglasses donated and recycled as part of Saving Sight’s Eyeglass Recycling Program.

Larry Merry of Jefferson City organized the clinic that helped restore Claudia’s sight. He is amazed at the difference just one pair of used spectacles can make.

“I can literally change somebody’s life just by handing them a pair of glasses,” Larry said.

Claudia’s story is just one of many that characterize Saving Sight’s Eyeglass Recycling Program. The program has provided more than 70,000 pairs of eyeglasses to humanitarian groups in 2015. The groups worked in Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico and Uganda, changing lives one person at a time with the eyeglasses provided by Saving Sight.

Claudia of Chiltepec, Mexico got her sight back with her first pair of glasses at age 87 thanks to a group from Concord Baptist Church in Jefferson City and Saving Sight’s Eyeglass Recycling Program.

Saving Sight also expanded its Eyeglass Recycling Program in 2015 with U.S. distribution through a new partnership with Minneapolis-based nonprofit ReSpectacle. Using ReSpectacle’s simple online system which allows individuals to search for glasses available in their prescription and order a pair at no cost, Saving Sight is now distributing glasses to people in need across the United States.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 123 million people worldwide live with visual impairments that could be corrected with glasses. It’s a large problem, but one with a simple solution you can be part of. Get involved with Saving Sight’s Eyeglass Recycling Program in one of four simple ways.

• Donate used glasses at a Lions Club collection box in your community; • Process donated glasses at the Lions Volunteer Center in our Columbia, MO office;

“I can literally change somebody’s life just by handing them a pair of glasses,” Larry said.

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• Join a mission trip like Doris (see story on page 6) to distribute recycled eyeglasses; or • Support our eyeglass recycling efforts with a contribution through saving-sight.org/give.

By recycling used eyeglass for those in need, together we can change lives by saving sight in the U.S. and around the world.

People to See

Lions Eyeglass Mission Clinic Photos & Story By: Lion Doris Eagle “You can’t’ do that.” That’s all I heard myself say. For so many years I have wanted to go on a mission trip and be a part of the great work done by Lions. “But I have no experience. But I don’t speak the language there. But I don’t know what I’m doing.” All true. But I went anyway. I was hoping I could be of some benefit – little did I know it would be myself that would benefit the most.

Once I took the leap of committing to go, in spite of all my supposed drawbacks, I threw myself into preparing, with a million questions running through my mind. Many details can be answered prior to the trip – but it turns out the logistics and planning and everything else you might worry about vanish into thin air the minute you walk up to your “clinic” and see all the people lined up waiting not just for hours that day, some for months, or even years, for the chance to see, or to see again. Nothing I had prepared for regarding travel, food, the language, money exchange – none of it mattered in that moment – or for the next two days.

Perspectives | Page 6

I couldn’t wait to get in the building and be of service.

Once we (Lions) were all inside and briefed on our jobs we were ready to go. The optometrists would refract the patients, and then the patients would wait for hours in a long line that led up to the other end of the building where we would match their prescriptions with glasses from the boxes and boxes of sorted eyeglasses. We were also provided translators (foreign language students) to help us communicate with the patients. After the first two or three patients, you quickly get the hang of finding the right glasses and you start to relax when you see the patient’s face light up when you get it right. Within 15 minutes all of us “technicians” were weaving in and out, over and around each other in such a hurry to get to the boxes of glasses to help another patient. It looked like we were doing a very intricate, complicated waltz and we were perfectly synchronized. Every second counted – the sooner you can help your patient, the sooner you can help the next one. Every few minutes you would observe or hear another person see for the first time, whether it was a 3-year-old or an 88-year-old, and

I wondered what took me so long to help – to just be there and do what I could. All the things I felt I lacked it turned out didn’t matter. I had plenty to give that made all the difference in the world. I was a caring human being helping others. It doesn’t get any more difficult, or simple, than that. I was able to witness miracle after miracle all day long, and again the next day. There was no need for our translators to convey the joy, the gratitude for the gift of sight most of us take for granted. There are no words to convey the awe and wonder on those faces. There are no words to convey the thankfulness they showed us. We changed lives just by spending a few days helping. I have seen the everlasting joy of service to others. The local Lions club expected we would see 250 patients on Friday and 250 on Saturday. The two day total was 1,197. No, I’m not a doctor, but I am a Lion, and Lions can do anything.

We are forever indebted to the Toluca Lions Club – such gracious and kind hosts.

Special heartfelt gratitude goes to Florence Middleton, with Lions in Sight, for handling all of the details, as well as to the members of our team: Dr. Sue Gordon, Dr. Don Negri, Dr. Melody Tavakoli - all from California, and our technicians: Charles Callier, Ron Hopkins, Marlene Payne, Jim Tesreau and Lisa Verity all from Missouri. The bond created in those two days will last a lifetime.

I’m already packed and ready for the next trip...places to go and people “to see”!

Guest author Lion Doris Eagle attended the Lions in Sight eyeglass mission clinic trip to Toluca City, Mexico in May of 2015. The trip was organized by Lions in Sight with volunteers coordinated by Saving Sight. Doris is the executive assistant to the chair of the department of ophthalmology at the Mason Eye Institute in Columbia, Missouri. She also serves as the faculty advisor for the MU Campus Lions Club at the University of Missouri - Columbia.

Perspectives | Page 7

Your gifts change lives by saving sight.

GIFTS JAN.2015 - OCT.2015

Lions Club Gifts Lion Sight Saver

Lion Benefactor

Lion Benefactor

Gifts $2000 and more

Gifts up to $999

Gifts up to $999

Boonville Lions Branson-Hollister Lions Chesterfield Lions Chesterfield Lions Columbia 20/20 Lions Concord Village Lions Creve Coeur Lions Harvester Lions Hurricane Deck Lions Jefferson City Evening Lions Jefferson City Host Lions Lake Winnebago Lions Lemay Jefferson Barracks Lions Lions All-Star Basketball Classic D-M6 Long Lane Lions Maryville Host Lions Millersburg Lions Missouri Lions District 26-M2 Missouri Lions District 26-M3 Missouri Lions Multiple District 26 Monett Lions Paris Lions PDG Association of 26-M5 Prairie Home Lions Seymour Lions Sikeston Lions St. Ferdinand Township Lions St. Joseph East Side Lions Wardsville Lions

Alma Lions Auxvasse Lions Belton Bel Ray Sunrise Lions Bernie Lions Bonhomme Lions Braymer Lions Brazito-Honey Creek Lions Brentwood Lions Bunceton Lions Cairo-Jacksonville Lions Camdenton Lions Cape Girardeau Evening Lions Christian County Lions Clarksdale Lions Columbia Community Lions Columbia Host Lions Cosby Lions Cuba Lions Diamond Lions District 14R Lions El Dorado Springs Lions Eldon Lions Elkland Lions Faucett Lions Ferguson Lions Forsyth Lions Fort Leonard Wood Lions Freistatt Lions Fulton Host Lions Gainesville Lions Gallatin Lake Viking Lions Gallatin Lions Gilman City Lions Golden City Lions Gower Lions Harrisonville Lions Higginsville Lions House Springs Lions Houston Lions Independence Host Lions Jefferson City Breakfast Lions Jefferson City Capital Lions Joplin Host Lions Kahoka Lions Kansas City Red Bridge Lionesses

Kansas City Red Bridge Lions Kimberling City Lions Laredo Lions Lebanon Host Lions Leeton Lions Lions Business Opportunities for the Missouri Blind, Inc. Lions of Wyoming - District 15 Lockwood Lions Lohman Lions Louisburg Lions Louisiana Lions Madison Lioness Malden Lions Marshall Lions Mayview Lions Missouri Lions District 26-M1 Missouri Lions District 26-M4 Missouri Lions District 26-M5 Missouri Lions District 26-M6 Missouri Lions District 26-M7 Missouri Lions MD26 - M6 Honorary Committee Moscow Mills Lions Nelson Lions New Florence Lions Norborne Lions Pickering Lions Raymore Lions Republic Lions Richwoods Lions Salisbury Lions Savannah Lions Smithville Lions Springfield Evening Lions St. Louis University Lions Club Tipton Lions Unionville Lions Valley Lions Wappapello Lions Warrensburg Lions Waverly Lions Wellington Lions Wentzville Lions West Plains Lions

Lion Patron Gifts $1000 to $1999 Adrian Lions Bowling Green Lions Brookfield Lions Carl Junction Lions Charleston Lions East Perry County Lions Farmington Lions Green City Lions Independence Noland Road Lions Jonesburg Lionesses Kearney Lions Knob Noster Lions La Plata Lions Lake St. Louis Lions Lexington Lions Macon Lions Maplewood Lions Maryville Pride Lions Miller Lions Nevada Lions Northwest Texas County Lions O’Fallon Lions Platte City Lions Pleasant Hill Lions Sainte Genevieve Lions Sedalia State Fair Lions Springfield Host Lions Springfield Queen City Lions St. Charles Lions St. Joseph South Side Lions Stockton Lions Trenton Lions Wildwood Area Lions

Perspectives | Page 8

Giving is Easy You can make a donation or establish a recurring gift through saving-sight.org/give.

Our vision programs are funded thanks to financial gifts from our generous supporters. For example, your gift of $100 will help us screen at least 10 children for common vision problems.

You can mail a check to: Saving Sight 10100 N. Ambassador Dr. Suite 200 Kansas City, MO 64153

Your gifts change lives by saving sight.

GIFTS JAN.2015 - OCT.2015

Circle of Sight Gifts Champion

Protector

Protector

Gifts $2500 or more

Gifts of $100-$249

Gifts of $100-$249

PDG Jene & Mr. Wayne Crook Darr Family Foundation Employees Community Fund of Boeing St. Louis MFA Foundation The Missouri Foundation for Health PDG & Lion John & Kathy Reese Thorp Foundation

A & B Prescription Shop Mr. Victor Arnold Mr. Karl Arnold ATG Labs, Inc Bach-Yager Funeral Chapel Ms. Brenda Barber Mrs. Carol Baughman Mr. & Mrs. Peter Beckers Mrs. Hilda Benge Bob’s Grading Mrs. Phyllis Bosley Mr. Glen Brandt Bugs Fear Us LLC Mrs. Jonina Buterbaugh Mr. Fredrick Caldwell PDG Bill Calhoon Mr. Billy Campbell Central Missouri Electric Cooperative Cheryl Kelly - State Farm Insurance Mr. & Mrs. Richard Chiles Mr. William Clarkson Ms. Frances Cooper Mrs. Mary Ann Coulter Cunningham Construction Co. Mrs. Carol Dammerman Mr. Jerry Davis Mr. Robert De Luce Elite Barber Shop Mr. Thomas Feiman Mr. Michael French Ms. Charlene Friedman Mrs. Mary Ann Gerdes Mr. & Mrs. Rex Gump Mr. & Mrs. John Harper Mr. Ronald Heinz Ms. Georgia High PCC Jeff Hilke Mr. Larry Hill Mrs. Nancy Hoglund Holman Howe Funeral Homes Mr. Michael Horton Huber & Associates, Inc. Ms. Rosann Huninghake JB Plumbing LLC Jeff Jones Joplin Host Lions Ms. Salley Kidd Ms. Jerri Knight Mr. Lyle Krohn Mr. Donald Kubler Mr. Leslie Lafon Mr. Patrick Leach Mr. Bernard Lee Ms. Alline Leise Dr. & Mrs. Alan & Vilma Levi Mrs. Norma Lockwood Ms. Theda Loehr Mr. Steven Lucas Mr. Joe Mahan Ms. Doris McCann Medical-Surgical Eye Care, P.A. Mr. John Meiners Mr. & Mrs. Jon & Katherine Meyer Mr. & Mrs. James Miller Mr. & Mrs. Bill & Joy Morgan Mr. Jason Mott Mrs. Orma Offill

Ms. Rieta O’Neal Mr. Dan Ousley Mr. William Oyler Ms. Martha Parker Lion Ronald Pauley Penman & Winton Consulting Ms. Martha Petersen Mrs. Oleta Pieratt Ms. Mary Pogson Powder Horn Guns & Archery Mr. Jack Powell Mr. Dan Raterman Lion Shirley Re Mr. & Mrs. Paul & Katherine Rehor Mr. Cecil Reid Ms. Thelma Rellergert Mrs. Barbara Reno Mr. & Mrs. Larry & Sondra Retherford Riback DKB Ms. Virginia Riley Capt. Jerome Roppel Ms. Elda Ruckrigel Fr. Stanley Schlarman Mr. Steven Schobert Mr. & Mrs. John & Jacquelyn Settlage Mrs. Marilyn Sheffield Show-Me Heating Mr. Bruce Simpson Mrs. Kay Smith Socket Telecom LLC Spicewine Ironworks Mr. John Staats Ms. Shirley Steinmeyer Mr. Robert Stephens Mr. & Mrs. Allen & Betsy Marie Sterner Lion John & Alice Stringham Mr. Dale Swindler Mrs. Mary Tersinar Mrs. Elaine Thomason Mr. William Vance Ms. Laurel Veazey Mr. & Mrs. John & Christa Vizner Mr. Henry Waters lll Margaret Watson Mrs. Mary Witt Ms. Madonna Wolff Worldwide ERC Mr. Deane Wylie Mr. Robert Zakon Ms. Effie Simmons Mr. Bruce Simpson Mr. Don Smith Ms. Hannelore Stegenga Mrs. Esther Steinhauer Ms. Shirley Steinmeyer Mr. Joseph Stockbauer Ms. Helen L. Thompson Mrs. Denise Voyles Mr. David Walker Mr. & Mrs. Douglas & Anne Walton Ms. Ila M. Watts Mrs. Toni Webb Mr. & Mrs. Russell & Casey Williamson Mrs. Alice Wisdom Ms. Mary Witt Mr. Edmond Wolfram Mr. Deane Wylie

Leader Gifts of $1000-$2499 Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories PCC & PDG Al & Debbie Blumenberg Boone County National Bank & Central Trust & Investment Mr. David Frech Greater St. Louis Community Foundation Kansas City Toyota Dealers Association The Kerr Foundation, Inc. Dr. Michael Misko Mrs. Sharon Nicholls PDG & Lion Stuart & Marlene Payne Ruth A. Dvorak Charitable Trust The Sosland Foundation

Guardian Gifts of $500-$999 Mr. & Mrs. Tony & Julie Bavuso Ms. Ann Carney Mr. Richard Davis Mr. & Mrs. Larry & Sandra Gough Dr. Susan Holley Kiwanis Club of Hays Inc Dr. Michael Korenfeld Mr. & Mrs Joe & Annie Kuhl Lion & Mrs. Allen & Ruth Lohsandt Mr. & Mrs. Chris & Mindy Meyer NEI Global Relocation Ms. Madonna Riesenmy Ms. Ila M. Watts PDG & Lion Jerry & Judy Young

Defender Gifts of $250-$499 Mrs. Susan Ardussi Mr. & Mrs. John & Kim Bailey Mr. George Davis Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Sheila Fields Mrs. Rosaetta Fields Mr. & Mrs. Lance & Tina Livesay Ms. Laverne Lutte Mrs. Cheryl McNabb Mr. Mirna Mora Ms. Tamara Oberbeck Mr. Robert Pirmantgen Mr. Joe Powell Mrs. Eleanor Ramsey Mr. & Mrs. Dan & Miriam Sieve Mr. Joseph Stockbauer

Perspectives | Page 9

Why Write a Will?

Whether you are married, single, widowed, or divorced, you need a will. In many cases, it has nothing to do with how large or small your estate may be. Without a will, your estate will not be distributed to those family members and organizations that you care about. The State will decide who gets your assets, and likely keep a sizable chunk of it for itself. Without a will, the State can also decide who takes care of young children when you are gone.

Without a will, your family and friends will suffer, but so will your church, your schools, and organizations you care for, including Saving Sight. Your bequest gift can make a real difference in the financial future of our organization and the other organizations that are important to you and your family.

You probably already have a general idea of how you would like your estate to be distributed and how you would like to include those important to you in your plans. Now is the best time to start planning your will, ensuring that your intentions are clearly followed.

Please contact our director of development, Jason Noland, at 816-255-1319 for more information about giving to Saving Sight through your will. It’s a chance to make a significant gift and also protect your estate for your family, loved ones and other organizations.

This article is the second in a Perspectives series by Saving Sight Director of Development Jason Noland, CFRE. Look for more on estate planning in the next issue of Perspectives.

Saving Sight Achieves Accreditation from Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance By meeting key standards of board oversight, finances, results reporting and fundraising appeals, Saving Sight achieved accreditation by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Having met 20 holistic standards that guide acceptable practices in board oversight and governance, effectiveness, financial management and fundraising, and transparency in materials and messaging, Saving Sight will earn the trust of all we touch as a well-run nonprofit organization. The purpose of this alliance is to help donors and volunteers make informed decisions Perspectives | Page 10 and advance high

standards of conduct among organizations that solicit support from the public. These broader standards go beyond what is required by law and dive deeper than other charity monitoring organizations.

While participation in the program is voluntary, Saving Sight continually strives to meet and exceed the requirements of the alliance.

Saving Sight supporters can be assured that we are operating responsibly and are committed to ethical standards in our development efforts.

Your gifts change lives by saving sight.

GIFTS JAN.2015 - OCT.2015

Friends of Saving Sight Gifts up to $99

Ms. Anne Alexander Mrs. Nancy Alford Ms. Linda Amick Mrs. Avis Arellanes Ms. Sylvia Armstrong Mr. Robert Asel Ms. Vida Ashley Mrs. Sarah Backhaus Ms. Sue Baker Mr. Albert Barnett Ms. Lucy Bednekoff Mr. Garrett Benskin Ms. Phyllis Birtles Mrs. Mary Blake Mr. & Mrs. Archie & Judy Blocher Ms. Mary Borzillo Mrs. Marge Brown Mr. & Mrs. Warren & Marjorie Bunck Mrs. Carol Chapman Mrs. Janice Church Mr. Bobby Clark Mr. Kenneth Clark Mrs. Joanna Clemence Mrs. Kimberlie Clyma Mrs. Beverly Cockrell Mr. Jay Cohn Mr. Brian Coleman Ms. Lillian Collins Corder Picnic Association Ms. Juanita Crabtree Mr. & Mrs. Jack & Mary Creason Mrs. Susan Dean Mr. Stu Devone Mr. D. Dean Doitchinoff Ms. Helen Duerksen Tom Duke James Dunbar Mrs. Gaberella Dunn Ms. Betty Duschl Ms. Tish Dwiggins Ms. Wilma Easter Mr. Jeff Eckert Ms. Shirley Elskamp Mrs. Sandra Eppinger

Ms. Judy Fehling Mr. & Mrs. Richard & Mary Ann Felkel Ms. Trish Fetters Mrs. Sue Fisher Mr. John Forderhase Ms. Syble Fry Mrs. Sondra Gabriel Ms. Carla Galloway Ms. Kay Garrett Mr. Stephen Geiger Mr. Alvin Gerstner Mr. & Mrs. Stanley & Carla Grant Mr. George Griswell Ms. Elsa Guidi Mrs. Patsy Hall Mrs. Ella Harbaugh Mrs. Maurine Harness Mrs. Alita Harrington PDG Jesse & VDG Louann Hathcock Mrs. Eleanore Haughton Heartland 24/7 Shooting Supplies LLC Ms. Stephanie Heater Ms. Amy Henry Mr. William Hoffman Ms. Dorlene House Mr. & Mrs. Timothy & Kathleen Huber Mrs. Joan Hughes Ms. Essie Hurt Independence National Education Association Mr. & Mrs. Melvin & Leslie Ingles Mrs. Darlene Isaacs Mr. Bradley Johnson Mrs. Jennifer Jordan Mrs. Emily Kalthoff Lion Anita Keely Ouida Kerns Mr. & Mrs. Robert Kile Mrs. Lula Kinder Mr. Robert Kirkpatrick Mr. Ron Knoop Mr. Roger Kohl Mrs. Rebecca Kravitz Mr. Ben Kutz

Gifts in Honor PCC Al Blumenberg Parker Calbreath Concord Baptist Church Dr. Lawrence Gans IPID Donal & Lion Betty Knipp Dorothy Reid Ronald Lee Thomason

Perspectives | Page 11

Ms. Linda Landel Mr. David Laplante Mr. Michael Lauer Mrs. Ernestine Lawrence Mr. Dave Lene Mrs. Dolores Lewis Mr. William Lewis Ms. Cindy Lucas Mr. Aaron Madrid Mrs. Gloria Madrueno Mr. James Maendele Mr. Bruce Maier Ms. Helen May Mrs. Susan Mayes Ms. Juanita McCreight Mr. & Mrs. Arlene McVey Mrs. Virginia Medic Mrs. Patricia Miller Mrs. Kay Miller Mr. & Mrs. Rick & Linda Miller Mr. H.W. Moehle Mrs. Maxine Morin Mrs. Pauline Nelson Mr. & Mrs. Russell & Arletta Nelson Ms. Patty Nichols Mrs. Belva Niemann Mr. James Orwig Ms. Jo Ann Osborn Mrs. Leta Mae Owen Ms. Georgette Page Mr. Vernon Pauley Ms. Evelyn Pavlicek Mrs. Cathy Paxton Ms. Helen Pearl Ms. Elfriede Pence Mrs. Janet Penrose Mr. Anthony Petrullo Mr. James Pitman Mr. Sammy Porter Mr. Arsenio Quanguey Ms. Marcia Rhodes Mr. Shawn Ripley Mrs. Virginia Roberts Mrs. Fortunata Rodillas

Mr. & Mrs. David & Joann Ross Mr. Marvin O. Ross Mrs. Mary Russell Mrs. Norma Russell Mrs. Kathleen Schiermeier Ms. Madalyn Schnieders Mrs. Marilyn Schoonover Mr. Marvin Scott Mrs. Mary Shoudel Ms. Ava Nell Smith Ms. Beverly Snider Mr. L. Joshua Sosland Mr. Emmet Spearing Mr. Wilson Speer Lion Paula Stallings Ms. Connie Stepsis Mr. Ronald Sterk Mrs. Charlene Stewart Mrs. Cheryl Stolte Ms. Betty Swanson Ms. Wilma Tabor The Watts Family Ms. Leona Thomas Mr. & Mrs. Norman & Nancy Tiedt Mrs. Winona Townsend Mrs. Nadine Trollinger Mr. Eldon Troth Mrs. Carolyn Van Sickle Ms. Leonor Venegas Mrs. Nora Wages Mrs. Barbara Walden Lion Dr. Ron Walkenbach Ms. Christine Webber Mr. & Mrs. Larry & Martha Weldon Ms. Louise White Mr. Ron Whittaker Ms. Crystal Wicks Mr. & Mrs. Brent & Carol Wilhelm Ms. Donna Wilson Mr. & Mrs. James & Nancy Wright Mr. & Mrs. William Yeager Ms. Ellen Yurk Mr. & Mrs. Lorenzo & Maria Zavala

Gifts in Memory Barbara Lion Dale Alexander PDG Jesse Ballew Lion Wayne Barlow Charlie Benge Lion Barbra Blackwell Lion Geraldine Buckley McKenna Campbell Edith Anna Clark Hawk Betty Lou DeLuce Lion Kenneth Engelbrecht Fr. John Ganly Lion Phyllis Gibbens

Elizabeth Grimes PCC Bob Hendrix Betty Hodgman The Honorable PDG Patrick Horner Beth Huber Lion George Kemp Donald Laxson Lion Donald Limback Lion Chester Loesing Lion Allan Mahnken Mark Malott Tillie Marshall Lions who passed 7/1/2014-06/30/2015

Referral Partners Performance

JAN.2015 - OCT.2015

Community Referral Partners Referral Location

Hospital Referral Partners

Donors Surgical Tissues

Referral Location

Donors Surgical Tissues

Bates Co Coroner - MO

1

2

Fairfax Community Hospital - MO

1

2

Cedar County Coroner - MO

1

2

Fayette County Hospital - IL

2

4

Christian County Coroner - MO

1

2

Fitzgibbon Memorial Hospital - MO

2

4

Cremation Society of Kansas and Missouri - KS

1

2

Fredonia Regional Hospital - KS

2

2

Davis - Anderson Funeral Home-Carlinville - IL

1

2

Freeman Health Systems - Neosho - MO

5

8

Greene County Medical Examiner - MO

1

2

Freeman Health Systems - West - MO

66

74

Hedges - Scott Funeral Home - Camdenton - MO

1

2

Frontier Forensics - KS

42

69

Klingner - Cope Family Funeral Home Eastlawn - MO

1

2

Geary Community Hospital - KS

8

8

Montgomery County Coroner - IL

1

0

General Leonard Wood Army Hospital - MO

1

1

Sedgwick County Coroner Office - KS

1

0

Girard Medical Center - KS

1

1

Shawnee County Coroner - KS

5

10

Golden Valley Memorial Hospital - MO

1

2

Simmons - Rentschler Mortuary - KS

1

2

Goodland Regional Medical Center - KS

2

0

Gove County Medical Center - KS

4

4

Graham County Hospital - KS

1

2

Great Bend Regional Hospital - KS

7

9

Grisell Memorial Hospital - KS

1

0

Hospital Referral Partners Referral Location

Donors Surgical Tissues

Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital - IL

12

21

Hannibal Regional Hospital - MO

10

15

Allen County Regional Hospital - KS

1

0

Hanover Hospital - KS

1

2

Anderson County Hospital - KS

1

2

Harrison County Community Hospital - MO

3

5

Atchison Hospital - KS

3

4

Harrison County Hospice - MO

1

2

Barton County Memorial Hospital - MO

1

2

Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice - KS

2

3

Bob Wilson Memorial Grant County Hospital - KS

1

2

Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital - MO

7

8

Boone Hospital Center - MO

26

40

Hays Medical Center - KS

10

13

Bothwell Regional Health Center - MO

12

15

Hedrick Medical Center - MO

3

6

Callaway Community Hospital - MO

1

1

Hermann Area District Hospital - MO

1

0

Cameron Regional Medical Center - MO

10

17

Hillsboro Area Hospital - IL

3

6

Capital Region Medical Center - MO

14

16

Hillsboro Community Hospital - KS

2

4

Carlinville Area Hospital - IL

2

4

Hodgeman County Health Center - KS

2

4

Carroll County Memorial Hospital - MO

1

0

Holton Community Hospital - KS

1

2

Cass Regional Medical Center - MO

6

7

Horton Community Hospital - KS

1

2

Cedar County Memorial Hospital - MO

1

0

Hospice Compassus Springfield - MO

1

2

Citizens Medical Center - KS

2

2

Hospice of Olathe Medical Center - KS

1

0

Citizens Memorial Healthcare - MO

8

13

Hospice Services, Inc - KS

1

2

Clara Barton Hospital - KS

2

4

Hutchinson Regional Medical Center - KS

19

25

Clay County Medical Center - KS

4

8

I-70 Community Hospital - MO

2

4

Coffey County Hospital - KS

5

8

Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care - MO

3

2

Coffeyville Regional Medical Center - KS

3

4

Kansas City Hospice House - MO

1

0

Colmery - O'Neil VA Medical Center - KS

3

4

Labette Health - KS

5

10

Comanche County Hospital - KS

4

5

Lafayette Regional Health Center - MO

1

2

Community Memorial Hospital - IL

2

4

Lake Regional Hospital - MO

24

41

Cooper County Memorial Hospital - MO

4

5

Lakeland Behavioral Health System - MO

1

2

Cox Medical Center Branson - MO

22

26

Landmark Hospital of Columbia - MO

3

2

CoxHealth Systems - Monett - MO

2

4

Landmark Hospital of Joplin - MO

4

2

CoxHealth Systems - South - MO

185

142

Lane County Hospital - KS

1

2

Crawford Memorial Hospital - IL

1

0

Lawrence County Memorial Hospital - IL

5

8

Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center - KS

2

2

Lawrence Memorial Hospital - KS

26

30

Ellett Memorial Hospital - MO

2

0

Lincoln County Hospital - KS

1

2

Ellinwood District Hospital - KS

1

2

Lindsborg Community Hospital - KS

3

6

Ellsworth County Medical Center - KS

1

2

Logan County Hospital - KS

2

4

Excelsior Springs Medical Center - MO

5

7

Memorial Hospital Abilene - KS

5

8

Perspectives | Page 12

Referral Partners Performance

JAN.2015 - OCT.2015

Hospital Referral Partners Referral Location Memorial Medical Center - IL

Hospital Referral Partners

Donors Surgical Tissues

Referral Location

Donors Surgical Tissues

115

123

Richland Memorial Hospital - IL

2

0

Mercy Health Center Fort Scott - KS

7

12

Russell Regional Hospital - KS

2

4

Mercy Hospital Aurora - MO

2

2

Sabetha Community Hospital - KS

3

3

Mercy Hospital Cassville - MO

1

1

Saint John Hospital - KS

5

9

Mercy Hospital Independence - KS

4

6

Salem Memorial District Hospital - MO

2

4

Mercy Hospital Jefferson - MO

20

23

Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System - IL

23

37

Mercy Hospital Joplin - MO

17

20

Scotland County Hospital - MO

3

4

Mercy Hospital Lebanon - MO

2

2

Sedan City Hospital - KS

2

4

Mercy Hospital Moundridge - KS

1

2

Select Specialty Hospital of Springfield - MO

6

2

Mercy Hospital Springfield - MO

179

134

Shelby Memorial Hospital - IL

1

2

Mercy Hospital St. Francis - MO

3

5

Sheridan County Health Complex - KS

3

5

Mercy Hospital Columbus - KS

2

4

Smith County Memorial Hospital - KS

1

2

Mercy Hospital Washington - MO

21

25

Southwest Medical Center - KS

2

5

Mercy McCune - Brooks - MO

4

6

SSM Health St. Francis - MO

3

4

Miami County Medical Center - KS

3

6

SSM St. Mary's Audrain - MO

6

6

Midland Care Connection - KS

1

2

SSM St. Mary's Jefferson City - MO

10

15

Minneola District Hospital - KS

1

2

St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital - IL

11

14

Moberly Regional Medical Center - MO

3

4

St. Catherine Hospital - KS

9

9

Morris County Hospital - KS

1

2

St. Francis Hospital - Litchfield - IL

1

2

Morton County Hospital - KS

1

2

St. Francis Hospital - Topeka - KS

25

21

Mosaic Life Care-St Joseph - MO

38

62

St. John's Hospital - IL

67

83

Nemaha Valley Community Hospital - KS

1

1

St. Luke's Cushing Hospital - KS

6

6

Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center - KS

1

2

St. Luke's Hospice Care - MO

1

0

Ness County Hospital - KS

1

2

St. Mary's Good Samaritan-Centralia - IL

10

11

Nevada Regional Medical Center - MO

3

6

Stafford County Hospital - KS

1

2

Newman Regional Health - KS

6

11

Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital - MO

4

4

Newton Medical Center - KS

9

16

Stormont-Vail Regional Medical Center - KS

1

2

Northeast Regional Medical Center - MO

5

9

Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital - KS

1

2

Northwest Medical Center - MO

2

4

Taylorville Memorial Hospital - IL

1

2

Norton County Hospital - KS

1

2

Texas County Memorial Hospital - MO

5

5

Olathe Medical Center - KS

28

43

Thomas H Boyd Memorial Hospital - IL

1

1

Osborne County Memorial Hospital - KS

1

2

University Hospital and Clinics - MO

69

70

Ottawa County Hospital - KS

2

4

University of Kansas Hospital - KS

83

98

Ozarks Medical Center - MO

10

14

University Women's and Children's Hospital - MO

1

0

Paris Community Hospital - IL

2

4

Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Kansas City - MO

8

10

Passavant Area Hospital - IL

14

24

Via Christi Health - KS

14

23

Pershing Memorial Hospital - MO

1

2

Via Christi Hospital St. Francis - KS

2

2

Phelps County Regional Medical Center - MO

18

19

Via Christi Manhattan - KS

9

10

Phelps Regional Homecare - MO

1

2

Vibra Hospital of Springfield - IL

2

2

Phillips County Hospital - KS

1

2

Wamego City Hospital - KS

4

6

Pike County Memorial Hospital - MO

3

4

Washington County Hospital - KS

2

4

Promise Skilled Nursing-Overland Park - KS

1

2

Washington County Memorial Hospital - MO

5

10

Providence Medical Center - KS

26

29

Western Missouri Medical Center - MO

3

6

Putnam County Memorial Hospital - MO

2

3

Western Plains Medical Complex - KS

7

9

Quail Creek Skilled Nursing - MO

1

0

Wichita County Health Center - KS

1

2

Ransom Memorial Hospital - KS

7

9

Wilson Medical Center - KS

1

2

Rawlins County Health Center - KS

1

2

Wright Memorial Hospital - MO

2

4

Ray County Memorial Hospital - MO

1

0

Republic County Hospital - KS

3

2

Rice County District Hospital - KS

4

5

Perspectives | Page 13

Director of Partner Relations Appointed to Missouri Governor’s Organ Donation Advisory Committee Michala Stoker, Saving Sight director of partner relations, was appointed to Missouri’s Organ Donation Advisory Committee by Governor Jay Nixon in September 2015. The state-wide committee assists the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in developing programs to raise awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation among the public and recommends priorities for expenditures from the state’s Organ Donor Fund.

Stoker has directed Saving Sight’s efforts to grow relationships with partners since coming to the organization in July 2013. She holds a bachelor of science in nursing from Central Methodist University and managed the progressive care unit at Liberty Hospital prior to joining Saving Sight. Through her work as director of partner relations, Stoker has collaborated with hospitals, medical examiners and coroners, funeral home directors and organ procurement organizations across Saving Sight’s service region to help donors give the gift of sight. She currently serves as the state team leader of Donate Life – Missouri where she works with partner organizations across the state of Missouri to educate the public about donation and increase awareness about the importance of registering to be an organ, eye and tissue donor.

In 2014, more than 14,000 Americans gave life through organ donation. Another 48,000 corneal transplants took place across the country to restore sight for those in need. Still, today more than 124,000 men, women children await life-saving organ transplants in the United States. You can make a difference by registering to be an organ, eye and tissue donor. Join the millions of Americans who have chosen to give life, but don’t wait to register at your local motor vehicles office. Register as a donor today at registerme.org.

Donor Medical Records May Hold Key to Enhancing Stewardship of Donated Tissue New research could help Saving Sight and other eye banks more easily identify donated tissue which may be better suited for research than transplantation simply by examining donor medical records. A recent study of 12,703 cornea donors found use of certain topical glaucoma medications was associated with lower corneal endothelial cell density of donors. Cell density is an important factor in determining the best use of donated eye tissue.

By using this information to evaluate potential eye donor cases, Saving Sight and other eye banks could focus on recovering tissue for transplant which provide the best chance for successful transplants. Other tissue could be recovered specifically for research purposes to help save sight through advances in medical practice.

Saving Sight Senior Director of Business Development Patrick Gore, RN contributed to the research as a co-author. Gore said this research is exciting because it demonstrates how eye banks can leverage data to make decisions.

“This is the tip of the iceberg in terms of how eye banks can leverage donor information to make data-driven decisions and be the best stewards possible of the precious gift of sight donors give through eye and tissue donation,” Gore said.

Gabriel Rand (left) and Patrick Gore (right) at the Cornea Society and Eye Bank Association of America’s Fall Educational Symposium.

Perspectives | Page 14

The findings were presented at the Cornea Society and Eye Bank Association of America’s Fall Educational Symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 13, 2015 by Gabriel Rand, MA. In addition to Gore and Rand, tthe study was also coauthored by Ji Won Kwon, MD, PhD; Kyong Jin Cho, MD, PhD; Mitchell D. McCartney, PhD; and Roy S. Chuck, MD, PhD.

Our Partners Are Making A Difference

Congratulations to the staff at Memorial Medical Center for maintaining a high rate of consent for eye donation over the last two years. Through August, eye donors from MMC gave the gift of sight to 105 recipients in 2015. To help facilitate eye donation, hospital leadership at MMC has maintained constant communication with Saving Sight staff, provided on-going education about eye donation, and offered feedback about the donation process. Saving Sight is grateful for the continuous support it receives from MMC leadership, nursing staff, security personnel, and pastoral care staff.

Saving Sight thanks the staff at St. Francis Health in Topeka, KS for their work to support cornea donation and transplantation. Through October 2015, the hospital increased its consent rate for eye donation by 15% over the same period in 2014.

This year 64 percent have said yes to eye donation at the hospital. St. Francis Health in Topeka has also helped more eligible donors complete the donation process, raising its conversion rate by 23 percent this year. Staff at the hospital made this possible by creating a culture of donation at St. Francis Health through a bi-monthly donor council, yearly skills days, administrative support, and the celebration of National Donate Life month in April.

Partner Relations Contacts Saving Sight’s partner relations staff members work to communicate with local hospitals, medical centers, hospices and community partners about donation. Listed below is the contact information and service area for each of our Partner Relations Coordinators.

Springfield Kansas City

Hutchinson

Springfield

Hutchinson, KS Heather Britain 620-665-1423

Perspectives | Page 15

Kansas City, MO Justina Barnes, RN, BSN 816-255-1359

Springfield, MO Kharim Strayhorn 417-569-1270

Springfield, IL Richard Hamillton 217-718-6002

Nonprofit Org US Postage PAID St. Louis MO Permit #4400

Happy Holidays

Pre-kindergartner Gentry has received the gift of sight through several cornea transplants and created this adorable snowman as the featured artist of the 2015 Saving Sight holiday card. Gentry was born completely blind due to congenital glaucoma and also suffered from a corneal opacity caused by a disorder called Peters’ anomaly and a protruding cornea. At the tender age of one month, she received the first of five corneal transplants to help correct her vision. By age two, Gentry had undergone twenty ocular surgeries.

While the road to clear vision has been a long one for Gentry, today she is a happy pre-kindergartner who is enjoying her first year of school.

Watch Gentry’s story at saving-sight.org or scan the QR code with your mobile device.