ASCRS News: ASCRS Foundation Update
Winter 2024
During the season of giving, you can help the ASCRS Foundation make a difference with your contribution to support essential programs, like Operation Sight, which helps provide cataract surgery to those who wouldn’t otherwise have access to this sight-restoring procedure.
We want to thank all those who have made a donation to help us in our important work. It’s not too late to make your end-of-year donations to the ASCRS Foundation. Supporting the gift of sight and the education of those who deliver sight-restoring surgery is not limited to just one day. If you’re thinking about gifts to get your colleagues, friends, and family for the holidays, consider giving the gift of sight through a donation to the ASCRS Foundation in their name.
In his introduction to the issue (see page 4), EyeWorld Chief Medical Editor Sumit “Sam” Garg, MD, speaks about the benefits that charitable giving can have for members. In his comments, he noted that, “Donations to qualified organizations like the ASCRS Foundation are tax deductible, allowing supporters to reduce their taxable income. These deductions can be especially valuable early in a medical career, as they create opportunities for financial planning and maximizing resources. This incentive encourages ongoing charitable contributions and underscores the importance of investing in causes like addressing preventable blindness.” Dr. Garg also highlighted the option of a donor advised fund, which allows for an immediate tax benefit with the potential to allow the donated funds to grow over time with distributions to qualified charities at a future date.
National Sight Week
In October, ASCRS celebrated the 9th National Sight Week, along with World Sight Day. Operation Sight is the ASCRS Foundation’s charitable cataract surgery program that operates in the U.S. This program, launched in 2014, serves financially vulnerable, uninsured individuals who cannot afford or access care. Since its inception, Operation Sight and its 800 volunteer surgeons have helped provide nearly 10,000 cataract surgeries.
The ASCRS Foundation encouraged support for its sight-restoring work during National Sight Week, and you can continue this support year-round in a number of ways.
- Make a tax-deductible donation and join the Lindstrom Legacy Gift Club.
- Include ASCRS in your donor advised fund and/or planned giving.
- Become a local Operation Sight volunteer.
- Follow the Foundation on social media and be part of the conversation.
Lindstrom Legacy Gift Club
The ASCRS Foundation recently launched the Lindstrom Legacy Gift Club, a new initiative aimed at supporting the vision of eradicating preventable blindness leading to full, healthy, and more productive lives for patients in need.
Having served as both president of ASCRS and chair of the ASCRS Foundation Board, Richard Lindstrom, MD, has witnessed firsthand the profound impact of the Foundation’s work, yet he knows there is more to be achieved with the steadfast support of committed members.
Dr. Lindstrom and his wife, Jaci Lindstrom, pledged $300,000 as their initial legacy gift, and those interested can become a founding member of the Lindstrom Legacy Gift Club by making a donation of $5,000 or more.
Joining the ASCRS Foundation Lindstrom Legacy Gift Club demonstrates a dedication to the ASCRS Foundation’s mission of educating, providing resources to, and empowering the eye health community to serve and deliver humanitarian ophthalmic surgery and care in the U.S. and internationally. Membership in this exclusive group also includes special recognition and privileges at ASCRS meetings.
Gifts may be in the form of cash donations, planned gifts, bequests, or a combination. Each contribution will ensure the sustainability and expansion of Operation Sight, along with global educational initiatives that the ASCRS Foundation offers, benefiting future generations of surgeons and local patients in need.
To learn more about the benefits and levels of support for the Lindstrom Legacy Gift Club, use this link and make a secure donation: secure.qgiv.com/for/legacygiftclub.
Those interested may also choose to make a gift through a donor advised fund, a qualified charitable distribution, by stock transfer, or another way. Contact Laura Rousseau at Lrousseau@ascrs.org for more details.
Health in Sight Mission update
In the Fall issue of EyeWorld, the ASCRS Foundation column highlighted the Health in Sight Mission (HISM), an outreach program that has provided eyecare and other medical services to underserved communities for nearly 20 years.
This past summer, one of the largest HISM volunteer groups to date gathered for the latest volunteer trip. Among the volunteers were ophthalmologists, technicians, medical students, family members, and a video crew from marketing sponsor i2Vision, which is creating a documentary about the organization. Also in attendance was Andy Chang, the president of corporate sponsor Carl Zeiss Meditec (offering the latest technological tools for medical care), and his son.
Over a 3-day period, more than 200 eye exams were provided to people of all ages in Roatán, Honduras, along with more than 60 surgeries for pterygium and cataract patients—many of whom had never before received care. Throughout the trip, HISM volunteers also prepared backpacks for local children at the Elaine Curtis Learning Center, providing school supplies like pencils, crayons, and coloring books.
As the country with the lowest cataract surgery rate in Latin America, Roatán is a center of great need—but there are many more to be served. Next, HISM leadership is focused on expanding its reach to the other Bay Islands, as well as areas of mainland Honduras while the establishment of an independent clinic staffed by local physicians continues. To help raise awareness of HISM, the documentary now underway by i2Vision will feature an inside look at their self-sustaining care model.
Industry partners, such as Carl Zeiss Meditec (sponsor of OCT, fundus photography, visual field, and IOLMaster tools) and i2Vision (marketing and media sponsor), are crucial to extending the reach of HISM’s services.
Learn how becoming a sponsor directly impacts patients without access to medication or regular care and offers the gift of sight to hundreds of people every year. Get involved at healthinsightmission.org.
