A cocktail party held on the NSW Central Coast has raised $5939 for the World Sight Day Challenge (WSDC). Highballs for Eyeballs, now an annual event, is organised by optometrist Amanda Rungis (Sure Eye Care) and Gordon Ryan (ReviveR Classic Cocktail Bar). Over four years, Highballs for Eyeballs has contributed a total of $18,000 to the World Sight Day Challenge, which was established in 2000 by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Optometry Giving Sight’s (OGS) Country Manager, Ron Baroni, attended this year’s ‘Highballs for Eyeballs’ and spoke about how OGS helps individuals and is building global, sustainable eye health services.
“We’ve helped fund the establishment of 12 universities around the world and have seen 200 optometrists graduate in third world countries to date with another 480 attending university right now,” said Mr. Baroni. “There’s nothing worse than seeing a child unable to gain a decent education simply because they don’t have access to a pair of glasses,” he added.
This year’s World Sight Day theme was ‘Eye Care for All’. Collective funds raised globally will be directed to 25 projects in 23 countries around the world, including the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia, the home of many remote Indigenous Australians. “Eyesight is a gift that many people take for granted”, said Ms. Rungis. “We are proud to support Optometry Giving Sight as 85 per cent of donations go directly towards helping support sustainable eye and vision care projects around the world. Both Gordon and I have been overwhelmed with the level of generosity shown by the local business community here on the Central Coast. It’s growing year by year and we look forward to doing it all again next year,” said Ms. Rungis.
A total of 31 local businesses and national optical suppliers donated more than $17,000 worth of prizes and silent auction items to the 2015 Highballs for Eyeballs event.
