Clients:

• Toby Ames is a 23-year-old HOPE Services Client with Down Syndrome who lives in Boulder Creek. Toby tried getting rid of his glasses since he was 18 months old - tossing them out the window of the school bus and burying them under the sand, among other places. He did not want to wear glasses because he was afraid of injuring his eyes and he liked for people to see his face - he felt like a "regular" person without glasses. Vision correction boosted Toby's confidence and self-esteem, helped him see better and allowed him to pursue two of his favorite hobbies – swimming and running.
• Cecilia Amoroso is a 54-year-old HOPE Services client who lives in San Jose and works in the gardening department of Home Depot in Santa Clara. She is responsible for taking care of the plants. Cecilia needed to wear glasses to see, but did not wear them because she felt they did not make her look good. This made it difficult for her to do many of her daily activities. Cecilia's vision correction procedure was successful and will hopefully help her pursue her goal of moving out of her family home and live independently.
• Richard Davis is a 61-year-old HOPE Services client who lives in San Jose and works one day a week at the Office Depot by Oakridge Mall doing maintenance. He loves his job and is trying to find more work. He did not like wearing glasses because he could only see up close, which made it hard to ride his bike to work, and the glasses bothered him. Without glasses, he can now do more activities he enjoys, such as playing softball and swimming. His biggest concern about the surgery was that he would miss a day of work or a softball game - he is a very dedicated person!

Staff:

• Wendy Underhill is 40 years old and works at HOPE Services in San Jose as an HR Specialist. In her function, she helps new HOPE hires understand their benefits and learn about the company. She especially likes interacting with the clients. Wendy wore thick glasses since she was six years old and was constantly teased because of them throughout school. As an adult, she was restricted on the type of glasses she could purchase because of the thick lenses she needed and they were expensive. She lived in fear of breaking her glasses during an emergency and not being able to see, and she was limited in her activities due to fear of losing or damaging her glasses. Corrective surgery was a very welcome change to her life.
• Juliana Tablada is 61-year-old HOPE Services instructor in San Jose. Juliana loves working with clients, seeing them improve their skills and thrive in a positive and loving environment. She helps clients learn how to garden, cook, appreciate music, take public transportation and participate in community events. She could not wait to get rid of her glasses as they bothered her and she was constantly taking them off, thus making it more difficult to work and do the activities she enjoys, such as reading.
• Sheryl Hagemann is a 35-year-old Program Manager for HOPE Services in Santa Cruz. As part of her job, she helps ensure that HOPE clients have the necessary training to enter and remain in the workforce. Having a job is very important to clients and Sheryl finds it extremely rewarding to offer them opportunities they did not previously have. Wearing glasses and contacts limited the number of activities she liked to do and her eyes were constantly bothering her at work due to heavy computer use. She is ecstatic to no longer have to purchase glasses and contact lenses.
• Candice Leonti is a 56-year-old HOPE Services Instructor from San Jose. She teaches HOPE clients crucial life skills to help them become independent, prepare for community outings and work. She feels very privileged to work with clients and finds her job extremely rewarding. She often forgot her glasses, which made it difficult for her to read to clients or do computer work, so she was thrilled to be chosen as one of the Gift of Sight candidates.
• Rex Zimmerman is 50 years old and has been working at HOPE Services for 20 years. He currently directs the employment program, supporting all of HOPE's offices. He previously worked directly with clients, helping them find jobs in the community and learning basic life skills. He feels his job is an important part of living in a community, helping people that don't have the same skills and teaching community members the importance of working with people with developmental disabilities. One of the best feelings he has had is to see a client receive his or her first pay check. Rex wore glasses for 30 years and limited his ability to participate in his favorite activities. He was also having trouble going down stairs or stepping off curbs with his transition lenses. He views vision correction surgery as a "life changing" opportunity. Rex lives in Aptos.
• Mike McDermott is 54 years old, lives in Palo Alto and has been working with HOPE Services for 30 years. He works at the Santa Clara workshop as a driver, picking up donations from Bay Area residences. One of the highlights of his job has been training HOPE clients to drive the trucks. Mike was thrilled to be a recipient of the Gift of Sight Program. He leads an active lifestyle and glasses were hindering his ability to enjoy his favorite activities and, on the job, he had to be careful not to break his glasses when lifting clothing and other objects in the donation trucks.
• Lauro Centeno is 33 years old and has been working at HOPE Services for 10 years. He is currently a program coordinator in San Jose, teaching clients independent skills, how to use public transportation and providing vocational training for those who want to get a paid job. He is greeted daily by smiles and warm hand shakes - a great way to start his day. Lauro wanted vision correction so he could have better vision when driving and become more efficient at work by spending less timing looking for glasses and more time focusing on his job.