ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 11, 2020 — A Michigan ophthalmologist and philanthropic advocate, an Ohio organ procurement organization, the mother of a New Jersey cornea and eye tissue donor, a supply chain technology and innovations firm, and an Illinois Lions Club have all been honored with Eversight’s 2020 Shared Vision Awards.
Since 2009, the Eversight Shared Vision Awards have recognized individuals, groups and organizations for extraordinary support of Eversight’s mission to restore sight and prevent blindness through donation, transplantation and research. Recipients are selected based on their impact in:
- Engaging in multiple programs to raise awareness about the gift of sight, and increase the number of registered eye, organ and tissue donors
- Engaging new community partners and advocates
- Raising philanthropic support
- Significantly advancing Eversight’s mission in the healthcare and allied workplaces involved with the donation process, including hospitals, hospice agencies, medical examiners’ offices and funeral homes
Recognized this year are:
- Paul Pue-Jung Lee, MD, JD, Director of the K. Kellogg Eye Center and F. Bruce Fralick Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School. In addition to his work to prevent blindness through research, education and patient care, he has raised philanthropic support for Eversight annually by providing Golf Classic sponsorships, organizing teams and bidding on his favorite silent auction item: a U-M football parking pass.
- Lifebanc, the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) serving northeast Ohio. In addition to its partnership with Eversight to identify and refer potential donors for evaluation, consent and recovery for sight-restoring transplants and vision research, Lifebanc is honored for its collaboration in educating healthcare professionals about the donation process including eye care prior to donation. Its work providing eye donation information to families of potential donors, educating the public and supporting work based at the Eversight Center for Eye Banking and Vision Research in Cleveland is also recognized.
- LLamasoft, a leading global provider of enterprise supply chain design and decision-making solutions based in Ann Arbor. Through its commitment to impact 100 million lives by 2022, LLamasoft entered a pro bono partnership with Eversight in October 2019 to develop data-driven solutions to more accurately predict the future need for and availability of donated eye tissue and most efficiently design a network for delivering corneas to transplant recipients in need worldwide.
- The Naperville (Ill.) Noon Lions Club, chartered in 1948 and a member of Lions Clubs International. The men and women of the club are honored for their annual volunteerism to support Eversight’s mission, through philanthropic support and raising community awareness at its annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 5K. The Naperville Noon Lions Foundation also provides vision and hearing care to more than 400 local children and seniors each year.
- Alice Gorczycki Walsh, an Idaho woman and sight advocate whose 23-year-old son Connor donated the gift of sight. Shortly after Connor’s unexpected death and donation, Walsh began volunteering with Eversight to promote eye donation awareness. She worked with Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., where Connor attended high school, to establish eye, tissue and organ donation education as a part of the driver’s education curriculum. Among her many contributions at the local and national levels, Walsh also volunteers with the NJ Sharing Network and Donor Connect, the federally designated OPOs based in New Jersey and Utah.
Eversight will honor its 2020 Shared Vision Award recipients Sept. 8 during an online closing ceremony for Golf for Good!, the Eversight 2020 Vision Classic to raise awareness and $50,000 in charitable support for sight-saving transplants and vision research. The event takes place at 6 p.m. ET on Zoom: bit.ly/GolfForGoodAwards.
A Golf for Good! Online Silent Auction also takes place Sept. 1-8 to support Eversight charitable programs. Items for auction include exclusive golfer gear and foursome packages, University of Michigan memorabilia, wine tastings and more. To learn more and bid, visit EversightGolf.givesmart.com.
For more information about Golf for Good! contact Amanda Frederick at afrederick@eversightvision.org or (734) 780-2616.
About Eversight
Eversight is a nonprofit organization with a mission to restore sight and prevent blindness through the healing power of donation, transplantation and research. The Eversight network is responsible for recovering, evaluating and providing human eye tissue for transplantation; supporting research into the causes and cures of blinding eye conditions; promoting donation awareness through public and professional education; and providing humanitarian aid to people around the world in need of corneal transplantation. Operating in Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and South Korea, Eversight works in collaboration with surgeons, researchers, academic medical centers and eye banks across the United States and abroad. For more information, visit eversightvision.org.
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