Not blind to need - Catholic parish extends gift of sight to Jamaicans

NAPLES, Fla. (Catholic Online) - Over a nine-year period, Sally and Richard VanBuskirk and other volunteers for the Jamaica Outreach Program have provided more than 4,000 eye exams, more than 3,000 pairs of prescription eyeglasses and magnifying reading glasses, treatment for glaucoma, and cataract surgery to some of the needy people of St. Pius X Parish in Kingston, Jamaica.

The VanBuskirks became involved with the Jamaica Outreach Program through their parish, St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Naples, Fla. The program was founded by Wally Kasputis, a parishioner who wanted to find a way "give back" to the church. Father Thomas Glackin, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church, suggested the possibility of finding a sister parish in need of the support that the parish could afford to provide. Kasputis discovered that St. Pius X Parish in Kingston was on the brink of closure due to lack of funds. He met with the Kingston parish's pastor, Father Burchell McPherson, who then traveled to Naples to meet Father Glackin. A sister parish plan was then created and enthusiastically received by the parishioners of St. John the Evangelist. In 1997, the Jamaica Outreach Program sent the first medical team, which was made up of two doctors and a dentist. The group set up a clinic in a building located on the St. Pius X property to provide services to those in need from the surrounding area. They reported back the overwhelming need for medical, dental and optical support in the local neighborhoods. The VanBuskirks owned an optical store and both had a desire to do volunteer work. "It was like the Holy Spirit appeared right before our eyes; challenging us to the opportunity," Sally VanBuskirk said, describing the opportunity to provide optical assistance to the parish's needy to Catholic Online, On their first trip to Jamaica in April 1998 with a team of 35 volunteers, they brought some used eyeglasses, frames, prescription lenses and some basic optical measuring tools. Dr. Jason Eugenides, who has since examined the eyes of more than 3,500 Jamaican patients, only examined about 100 patients due to a lack of state-of-the-art examining equipment. The process of matching the donated glasses with the people they examined was inefficient and they recognized that if they continued to only use the donated glasses, they would not be able to help as many people as they had hoped to help. Richard VanBuskirk decided to find donations and, if necessary, the funding to make each patient the correct prescription lenses for him/her and put them in used or new frames which would both fit properly and last for a few years. The eye-care program was begun and through an increased budget, they have been able to provide prescription lenses, various optical treatments and more than 4,000 eye exams with up-to-date equipment. Since the beginning of the program, the VanBuskirks have played a major role in the process of manufacturing and fitting glasses, coordinating the eye-care program, fundraising, volunteer training and choosing updated equipment. The latest volunteer effort in the planning stage is to provide equipment and training to open an on-site optical center where glasses can be manufactured and fitted. This would be located on the St. Pius X property in one of the buildings that have been donated to the parish. Sally VanBuskirk emphasized the expanse of people and groups that work together to fulfill the many goals of the Jamaica Outreach Program. There are volunteer leaders at St. John the Evangelist for medical, dental, optical, life teen, and an ongoing packing and shipping program of food and material goods to their sister parish. Other volunteers travel specifically to help with the eye-care program. If they have professional skills or other skills which are useful at the Jamaica parish, they are fit into the schedule. If not, they are trained to assist. People come back transformed and enriched and joyously enthusiastic. Monetary contributions from St. John the Evangelist have made possible the construction of an open-air community center on St. Pius X property that provides space for community events, including activities sponsored by the outreach program. Members of the program also work with members of the St. Pius X Parish Council and "Friends of Pius", a financially supportive group that lives in another area of Kingston to improve and increase services related to sister parish activities. Plans are underway for the next volunteer Jamaica Outreach Trip, which will take place in November to continue the sharing tradition. As she prepared for this trip, Sally VanBuskirk reflected, "Faith brought us to this ministry, but we had no idea how wondrous the gifts would be." "We have such a real awareness of the spirit in every person we meet, especially those at St. Pius," she said. "In very simple ways, we feel and touch the presence of God in these poor. They are filled with gratitude and love for us and for what we do for them, but we are the real winners! We cannot possibly give as much as we receive from these people."

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