Posts Tagged ‘VSP Vision Care’

Fore Healthy Sight!

Jill N. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team

Jill N. is a member of VSP's Corporate Public Relations team

 

“Golf is an ineffectual attempt to put an elusive ball into an obscure hole with implements ill-adapted to the purpose.”  ~Woodrow Wilson

 
For the second year in a row VSP has the opportunity to participate with Transitions Optical at the 2010 Transitions Championship for Healthy Sight as part of the “Live Your Vision Pavillion” and “Healthy Sight Village.” VSP will be one of a few optical industry partners on hand providing information, education, and hands-on experiences that will include sports-vision demonstrations, golf clinics, eyewear fashion shows and health and wellness screenings.

 VSP will be included in a new “Competitive Advantage” area developed by Transitions, VSP and Nike Golf, where attendees will have the opportunity to learn how vision impacts athletic performance (I don’t know about you, but I definitely blame my eyesight, among other things, for my golf performance…), how general fitness impacts their golf swing (so you’re NOT supposed to match the number of beers to the number of strokes?), and how the latest technological innovations like performance eyewear and golf apparel can help them golf and look their best (who cares how good you are if you don’t LOOK good doing it?).

Prior to the tournament, VSP will also partner with Transitions and Prevent Blindness Florida to provide three days of charitable outreach to local Tampa children and  adults in need. After the outreach, the VSP mobile clinic will be showcased during the tournament to help educate attendees on the importance of eye health and giving back to your community.

As part of the fun leading up to the tournament, VSP conducted a sweepstakes and one lucky winner was selected to attend the tournament with three friends. Stay tuned to see the tournament through his eyes as he creates and posts a video diary of his experience.

Check out a video from last year’s event with SeeZar! YouTube Preview Image

VSP Supports the 2010 Sacramento Black Expo

 

Gail J. and her grand-daughter.

Gail J. and her grand-daughter.

Gail J. works in VSP’s Human Resources department. She shares her experience as an employee volunteer at the recent 2010 Sacramento Black Expo, of which VSP was a major sponsor.

VSP made quite the impression at Black Expo 2010. We’ve participated in the past by having the standard booth and VSP volunteers on hand to share information about our company, more so from a job opportunity perspective. But this year, it felt different. With our VSP Mobile Clinic, SeeLia, as the backdrop of our booth, it was a thrill seeing the eyes of both children and adults as they approached us. Lots of “Wow! Look how big that thing is!” People were definitely drawn to VSP; and whether they wanted information about vision care, job opportunities, or simply to spin the prize wheel, they walked away with a true sense of the VSP experience.

While VSP made quite the impression to others, my volunteer experience left quite the impression on me. A lot of times, events such as these are basically an opportunity for people to walk by and grab the free giveaways. I didn’t get that sense this time at all. I may have chatted with at least a hundred people during my few hours of staffing the booth, but one person in particular stood out for me. I met an elderly gentleman who didn’t know anything about VSP and when I shared what we were doing at Black Expo (e.g. sharing eye health information, the Mobile Eyes program, job opportunities), he said he knew it was important to go to the doctor every year for a check-up, but he just didn’t have the money and he didn’t think the government was going to fix healthcare with all of their partisanship. I told him about our voucher program and to step inside the mobile clinic to learn more about the program. He emerged a few minutes later with a voucher and list of local VSP providers in hand. He had the biggest grin on his face and thanked me for making his day. I honestly believe the reverse was true … he made my day.

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Win a trip of a lifetime! Trip for Four to the Transitions PGA Championship for Healthy Sight!

Transitions ChampionshipFORE! Even better – Four!

That’s right! VSP will send you and three friends to the 2010 Transitions PGA Championship for Healthy Sight!

Need more details about the prize?

male golferWell, VSP and Transitions are teaming up to offer a lucky fan and three friends a free trip to the 2010 Transitions PGA Championship for Healthy Sight at the Innisbrook Golf Club and Resort in Florida on March 19 – 21 including:

  • Roundtrip airfare for 4 to Tampa + transportation to and from airport to Resort
  • 2 Double Occupancy hotel rooms at Innisbrook Resort for three nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
  • Tickets to Championship for (3rd Round) Saturday and (Final Round) Sunday
  • Admission to Links & Drinks event featuring special guest Pro Golfer John Mallinger
  • Nike Sunwear
  • Private consultation with kinesiologist for swing improvement
  • HD Flip Camera

Sound good?

The sweepstakes is open to legal residents of  the United States (except Florida, New York & Rhode Island) who are at least 18 years of age.

Act now!

Entries are only accepted until February 29 at 11:59 p.m! You can be our lucky winner! Go to VSP’s Facebook Fan Page to enter, and while you are there, become a fan of VSP!

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Celebrating Black History Month & Achievements in the Eyecare Industry

Dr Poston

In 1972, Dr. Marvin Poston was the first African American named "Optometrist of the Year" by the American Optometric Association, the highest professional award from the AOA.

VSP is known for quality service – whether providing eyecare to underprivileged through our number of charitable programs, ensuring patients have access to high-quality vision services or providing doctors with the tools they need to maintain successful private practices. This dedication to service can be directly attributed to the core philosophies of VSP’s founders, one of whom was Dr. Marvin R. Poston.

In 1935, Dr. Poston was the first African American student admitted to the study of optometry at University of California, Berkeley. It took another 23 years for the second African American student to follow in his footsteps and graduate from the Berkeley School of Optometry. Dr. Poston later became the first African American licensed to practice optometry on the West Coast.

Nearly 55 years ago, Dr. Poston, along with several of his fellow optometrists, formed California Vision Services, now known as VSP Vision Care. The company originally was the first to offer a prepaid, vision benefit that provided high quality, cost-effective eyecare. VSP has since grown to become the largest not-for-profit visions benefits provider in the nation, covering 1 in 6 Americans.

Dr. Poston’s optometry practice flourished for four decades in Oakland and Danville, California but his reach extended far beyond those who visited his offices. Befitting one of the founders of a company that prides itself on community support, Dr. Poston began his own tradition of community outreach by establishing vision-screening programs for under-served children and adults. The Children’s Vision Center of the East Bay, the West Oakland Health Group and the East Bay Skill Center are just a few of the organizations that benefited from his efforts.

Dr. Poston received numerous honors during his career, including the Optometric Man of the Year award by the Alameda Contra Costa Optometric Society and Optometrist of the Year by the California Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association. He was also appointed to three terms on the California State Board of Optometry by governors Edmund G. “Pat” Brown and Ronald Reagan. In each of these areas, Dr. Poston was the first African American ever to be honored.

“He was a man of great integrity,” says Norm Jacoby, O.D., a former colleague from Encino, California. “He was very soft-spoken and intelligent, and you listened when he spoke. Marvin was conscious of what new graduates needed when getting started in private practice and that they needed all the help they could get.”

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From the Road: VSP Mobile Eyes in Monterey County, CA

Today we have a guest post from Maggie P. Magallón, a health service advisor from the Monterey County Office of Education – a recent partner of the VSP Mobile Eyes program.

For the Monterey County Office of Education’s first VSP Mobile Eyes event we were able to provide services to over 55 children and youth in need — in the future we’ll shoot for over 100!

Niki and Kim with patients and MRT Vicki Aston

VSP Mobile Clinics Operations Manager, Niki M., with a patient in his shades after his eyes were dilated.

During the three day outreach event, the clinic visited three school districts in Monterey County, including Greenfield Union, Sta. Rita Union and Salinas City Union. The young patients entered the clinic with excitement and gratitude, especially after they had the opportunity to select their frames from popular brands like Disney & Coach!

Patient with Kim and Isabel

One of the students picking out his frames with VSP Mobile Clinic Operations Managers, Kim R., and Monterey County Migrant Program partner, Isabel.

It was a pleasure partnering with the team at VSP.  Kim R., Niki M., and Vicki A. are a great team to work with, and I want to give a big  thank you to our local VSP optometrists – Dr. Sylvia Lee, Dr. Brett Fredericks, Dr. William Kadell, and Dr. Catherine Winters – who enthusiasticly volunteered their time to provide eye exams to the kids.

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VSP Volunteer, Vicki A., Dr. William Kadell, Kim R. and Niki M.

Now that the students who needed glasses will receive them, I feel they will definitely show an improvement in their language arts and math achievement this year as they can see with much more clarity and precision!

We look forward to VSP Mobile Eyes visiting our area again.  What a great service VSP offers to the community!!! 

Wow! Your head is so big! Volunteering on the VSP Mobile Clinic

One of our partners Dan McLean, at Transitions Optical shares a story about working with kids while volunteering on VSP’s mobile clinic.

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Blown-glass contact lenses? Yikes.

New York Time's first coverage of the contact lens.

New York Times' first mention of the contact lens.

Did you know that the first usable contact lens was made in 1888 from blown glass? It’s a fact.

You can find this, and other interesting historical anecdotes about contact lenses in a recently published New York Times article.

Take a look; it’ll give you a fresh perspective on something many of us take for granted.

As I toss my daily, UV-blocking, soft contact lenses in the trash, I give thanks for technological advances.

First Mention: Contact Lens, 1930

Content and image courtesy of the New York Times.

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Kyle Rose – Eye doctor was first to see his symptoms of diabetes

January is Eyecare Month. In honor of this observance, we’ll be sharing a three-part video series about how eye exams can show signs of health conditions, like diabetes.

Team Type 1’s Kyle Rose was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 16 years old. He was originally thought to have the flu. When he began experiencing fluctuating vision, he went to see his eye doctor who immediately recognized signs of diabetes and recommended he get tested for diabetes.

In this video, Dr. Sasha Pen, with EyeCare Associates of San Francisco, explains why diabetes would have caused changes to Kyle’s vision.

For more information about EyeCare Associates of San Francisco, check out their website at www.eyecaresf.com.

About Team Type 1 and VSP Vision Care

Team Type 1 is a group of athletes living with diabetes. The team includes professional race teams, a triathlon team and a development team. Team Type 1 strives to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes. VSP® Vision Care is proud to be their exclusive eyecare and eyewear provider.

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A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way

Sara B. is a member of VSP's Finance Team.

Sara B. is a member of VSP's Finance Team.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our attitudes.”

-Charles R. SwindollBlog 3 picture

I still remember it like it was yesterday. I had just started my career at VSP last year and was going through some of my mail in the morning, when I saw my name neatly written on the front of an interoffice envelope. As I opened it, I noticed a sales office had forwarded me a client’s payment. Attached to the payment was a small note that read,

“Hi Sara – this appears to be for one of your clients; it was sent to us, in error. I look forward to working with you. Have a great day! –Des.”

The note was attached to the client’s payment with a metallic blue paperclip. Two things immediately stood out. One, the small, thoughtful note, which spoke volumes about Des’s character and two, the brightly colored paperclip. Reading that note instantly brought a smile to my face. Des’s note reminded me that a little kindness really does go a long way. Good behavior is like a chain reaction; equally, so is bad behavior. Read more »

VSP Vision Care Honored as Regional Business of the Year

Today, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) recognized VSP’s efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and protect the environmental health of our region.  VSP received the SACOG Salutes! Business of the Year award for our work towards CO2 reductions through alternative mode transportation, and use of eco-friendly materials and operations.

Carlos O., Steve H., and Ana C. of VSP Corporate Services team, pose with Rancho Cordova City Councilmember Linda Budge (right center).

Carlos O., Steve H., and Ana C. of VSP's Corporate Services team, pose with Rancho Cordova City Councilmember Linda Budge (right center).

One of VSP’s corporate values is to support the community and environment we live in. We envision a campus that is environmentally responsible, healthy and prosperous, improving the quality of life of not only our employees, but also our community.

Our platinum LEED-EB certification in 2008 was a significant culmination of our efforts, and while it marks a milestone in VSP’s ongoing efforts to become a model of energy and resource efficiency, it has been just the starting point for us. We’re working towards LEED certification for our entire headquarter campus and are actively working on additional initiatives to further lower our carbon footprint. Carlos O. and Ana C.  joined our Corporate Services Director, Steve H., representing VSP as key members of a dedicated team that runs our Environmental Sustainability Program.

VSP’s goal is to continue to lead the way for other companies to implement sustainable business practices and being recognized by an organization such as SACOG is a great asset in working towards that goal.

Take a look as Steve accepts this prestigious award!

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