Mount Pleasant High School students recently paired up in a relay to keep two see-saws active for five hours, motivated by the knowledge that their efforts will help restore sight to the blind in India. A MPCHS Interact Club service event, See-Saw for Sight was held May 17, 2008, at Complete EyeCare Center, in downtown Mt. Pleasant. Cataracts are a severe problem in India, where Rotary Club International is working to assist the needy. Cataract surgery can be done for $50 at a subsidized outreach clinic there, so each participant was challenged to raise at least that amount before the Saturday event. Rotary, Interact’s parent organization, matches the funds students raise at the local to international level, multiplying its impact as much as eight times. This local event, held annually since 2006, has already resulted in assistance to over 500 people.
See-Saw for Sight was held in conjunction with Complete EyeCare Center’s annual Fashion Eyewear Event. Visitors to the dual events were offered free hot dogs, popcorn, beverages, cookies, and were eligible for an array of door prizes. Local optometrist, Dr. Christopher Olson, and his daughters, Ashley and Nicole, have spearheaded the Interact Club’s See-Saw for Sight event each year after learning of Rotary’s sight-saving efforts from the Interact Club’s advisor, Mr. Cal Litwiller. In 2005, Litwiller traveled to India and was impressed by the needs there, as well as the impact cataract surgery could make on an individual’s life and livelihood. Olson’s practice, Complete EyeCare Center, and Dave’s Foods, donated food and equipment for the club’s 2008 event. The participation of Interact members and friends, along with the support of this year’s contributors, is projected to aid more than 100 of India’s afflicted, who will regain functional vision for work and daily life.
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