Suppliers support Special Olympics 2013 Asia Pacific Games at Newcastle

Coordinated by Newcastle optometrist and Australian director of the Opening Eyes Program, Susan Walton, more than 400 pairs of glasses were prescribed in just four days. Ms Walton has held this position for 18 years and works with Essilor, Safilo, BOC Instruments and the Lions Club to coordinate the volunteers for this service.Over 2500 athletes and carers from 32 Asia Pacific countries participated this year, with over 1000 athletes screened.For the first time Essilor showed its sponsorship under the banner of the Essilor Vision Foundation, a US 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2007 by Essilor of America, with the mission to eliminate poor vision and its lifelong consequences. In 2008, its first program, Kids Vision for Life, was launched, and since 2008 the foundation has added its Adopt-A-School platform, an Essilor ployee-engagent program, in addition to the global partnership with the Special Olympics, which has been supported by Essilor since 2002.Since 2008, Essilor worldwide has conducted 116,728 vision screenings and provided 28,891 pairs of spectacles.”Volunteers are truly the heart of this initiative and dedicate their time and skills to this Healthy Athlete Program. The athletes overcome many challenges every day and it is our joy to make even the smallest of differences to their vision which will not only help th while they are competing but also in their lives in general”, Tim Thurn, Essilor professional services ANZ, said.