Chapter Details and Requirements

How do I start a chapter of Unite For Sight?

1. Complete the application online.
2. 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
3. Recruit volunteers. All volunteers must complete basic orientation and training, including the Unite For Sight's Online Eye Health Course, and sign the Unite For Sight Volunteer Code of Conduct.
4. Assign an optometrist or ophthalmologist as the chapter's advisor.
5. 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.
6. Obtain vision screening chart
7. Collaborate with community centers (soup kitchens, clinics, homeless shelters, schools, preschools) so that you can hold vision screenings for the medically underserved.
8. Begin eyeglass drive and fundraising events.

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.

What is the need? Why is it important to volunteer?

In the United States alone, there are 10 million people who are blind or visually impaired. Many of these people do not have access to health care, health insurance, or education about the importance of annual eye examinations to maintain sight. Patients without health insurance are usually not aware of free health coverage programs that would enable them to receive complete eye exams with no out-of-pocket expense. Even with health insurance, patients may be fearful of eye surgery and can sometimes perceive blindness--due to cataract or as a result of diabetes--as a natural part of aging. Additionally, health coverage may not include extras, such as eyeglasses, which low-income and elderly populations may not be able to afford.

What is Unite For Sight’s innovative solution?

In North America, Unite For Sight's chapters screen community members for eye disease, educate children and adults about eye health and blindness prevention, and encourage the medically underserved to apply for free health coverage so that they can receive complete eye exams by physicians. The screenings help to identify individuals who require an eye examination. Additionally, vision education programs are held in conjunction with vision screenings to enhance the value of vision screenings.

Initiatives include:

Vision Screenings

• Young children are screened for amblyopia and strabismus. Based on recent studies, 62% of America's preschool children have never had a vision screening. This results in approximately 500,000 children losing sight in one eye each year. Through vision screenings, Unite For Sight identifies children whose visual acuity indicates the potential for eye disease and refers them to eye doctors for diagnosis and treatment.
• Older children and adults are screened for visual acuity problems and directed to an eye doctor for regular eye examinations.

Access to Eye Care

• Unite For Sight assists and encourages the medically underserved to register for free health coverage programs so that they can receive an eye examination by a physician. Programs include the VisionUSA Program, the National Eye Care Project, Sight For Students, Medicaid, VA Insurance, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Vision education programs

• The extensive vision education program teaches people how to prevent blindness. Interactive presentations are held at elementary, middle, and high schools, and at community centers for adults.

In addition to screening and education events, chapters also organize eyeglass drives, and fundraising events. Also in North America, Unite for Sight hosts an annual international health conference that convenes more than 2,500 participants from all 50 states and from more than 60 countries.

What is the structure of Unite For Sight chapters?

Each individual chapter self-governs under the auspices of Unite For Sight. In order to become a chapter of Unite For Sight, the officers and advisor must sign the Chapter Charter, which affiliates the student group with Unite For Sight. Student volunteers manage each chapter: they are responsible for completing administrative tasks, providing vision screenings and vision education programs in the community, and matching patients with free health coverage programs so that they can receive a complete eye exam by a doctor. Unite For Sight volunteers engage in service-based learning, community-based research, and cultural and emotional literacy.

What are chapter requirements?

All Unite For Sight chapters are required to follow standardized guidelines that ensure uniform, quality programs by all chapters.

Chapters:

• Register as an official club/student organization at their school.
• Speak by phone with Unite For Sight's Volunteer Coordinator every other week. This offers the chapter president an opportunity to discuss the past two weeks of chapter programs, discuss their chapter's ideas for future programming, and ask questions.
• Submit monthly updates through Unite For Sight's online system on the first day of every month.
• Appoint an optometrist or ophthalmologist as their chapter advisor.
• Hold a minimum of two vision screening or eye health education events each month.
• Hold an eyeglass drive.
• Fundraise for Unite For Sight's international eye care programs.

What is the role of the optometrist or ophthalmologist who serves as the chapter advisor?

All chapters are required to develop a relationship with at least one optometrist or ophthalmologist advisor. The advisor serves as an official administrator and another voice representing the chapter. The advisor provides guidance and advice to the chapter and also helps to institutionalize the chapter at the university even after current chapter leaders graduate. Advisors do not provide any eye care in the community; they serve exclusively to provide assistance to the chapter.

How are chapters funded?

We suggest that chapters receive university funding for basic start-up chapter expenses, and allocate all of your fundraising initiatives for the international eye care programs. Most universities will fund all local chapter program expenses. The expenses for a chapter are very minimal and only include purchase of a visual acuity chart (less than $20), purchase of a tape measure and masking tape, and expenses related to printing copies of 1-page free health coverage program forms from the coordinator manual.

How are North America chapters involved in Unite For Sight's international programs?

• Volunteers involved with North America chapters frequently apply to participate in Unite For Sight's international 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