Unfortunately, due to the continued resurgence of Covid-19 in Thailand, we continue to face delays in our CMIRC School Vision Screening Project. We look forward to screening all 3rd and 5th graders at the 11 municipal schools and the Wat Suan Dok School this winter and spring in partnership with Optician Khun One at Chom Jun Optic, the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai Wattana, and, if pediatric ophthalmological surgery is needed, the Rotary Club of Chiang Mai North.
We are tentatively planning school vision screening volunteer training for early December, with screenings in the municipal schools and the Wat Suan Dok School beginning in January. We are certain that the schools will only allow fully vaccinated volunteers to screen children in the schools. So, if you are interested, have time to volunteer for 3 to 4 hours during 1 or 2 school days/week, and you will be fully vaccinated by December 1, please contact, Project Champion John Schorr at schoolvision@cmirotary.org. Members of CMIRC have priority, but in the past, we have also used Rotarians from other clubs, Rotaractors, and friends of Rotary.
SOME GOOD NEWS! Due to the outreach by CMIRC Rotarian Colin Jarvis we are now in the process of building a strong relationship between the CMIRC SVSP and Saint Peter Eye Hospital here in Chiang Mai. Colin and I met with Ophthalmologist Tayakorn Kupakanjana, M.D. (Dr. Nickie) a young new addition to the St. Peter Eye Hospital medical team; he is very interested in assisting us with our vision project. This adds a very important medical element to the services we are able to offer to school children with very serious vision problems, problems that cannot be addressed with glasses alone. Add to this the pediatric ophthalmological surgical services available through our partnership with the Rotary Club Chiang Mai North Foundation, the continued very professional work of Optician One, and our trained screening volunteers and we have now built a complete team to address municipal school children’s vision problems here in Chiang Mai.
Once again, we’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the generous support of our partners, sponsors and donors, so here is a list of these generous organizations, beginning with the Rotary Club of Spokane 21 whose donation of $2,500 this year will fund about 80% of our program! THANK YOU ROTARY CLUB of SPOKANE 21!!!
The total program budget for next year is estimated at about $3,000 US dollars, so we are still about $500 dollars short. If you wish to learn how you can help, please contact Project Champion John Schorr at schoolvision@cmirotary.org or tel.: +66 (0)8 5030 2143, US Skype # 386 490-8100
Volunteer hours for October: Chair - 2, Committee members - 6
Our 2021-2022 School Vision Screening Donor Team: