#helpmesee

Pledges to Cure Cataract Blindness for 20 Million People Currently Affected by this Treatable Eye Disease

New York, November 21, 2014 – HelpMeSee – a global campaign to cure cataract blindness - has joined #GivingTuesday, with a Global Ambassador Video Search contest, a first of its kind effort that will harness the collective power of a unique blend of partners—charities, families, businesses and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. Coinciding with the Thanksgiving Holiday and the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support and help create a better world.

Taking place December 2, 2014 – the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a national moment around the holidays dedicated to giving, similar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are, today, synonymous with holiday shopping.

HelpMeSee’s Global #GivingTuesday campaign asks people to experience what it is like for the 20 million people living in the developing world who are currently blind with cataracts. To understand cataract blindness for just a moment in time, HelpMeSee invites people to film themselves conducting their favorite activity blind folded and to share their experience with the rest of the world on this #GivingTuesday. During HelpMeSee’s Global #GivingTuesday campaign, we will be launching our first Global Ambassador Search, where participants demonstrate and address the challenges of a world with cataracts through their video submissions. It is only through living the experience of what others feel that we understand their challenges.

“As a participant in this innovative movement, HelpMeSee strongly believes that it takes a community, with the support of the international community, to solve its own problems in order to build sustainable systems to truly eradicate a single problem,” said Mohan

Jacob Thazhathu, President & CEO, HelpMeSee. “The HelpMeSee Campaign to cure cataract blindness does just that. By building and helping establish cost effective and sustainable solutions in innovation technologies, communities around the world can not only be leaders in solving its social issues, but restores the dignity and pride needed to help these global communities facing insurmountable issues overcome and rise above its current situations.”

Seeing an opportunity to channel the generous spirit of the holiday season to inspire action around charitable giving, a group of friends and partners, led by the 92nd Street Y (92Y), came together to find ways to promote and celebrate the great American tradition of giving. Thought leaders in philanthropy, social media and grassroots organizing joined with 92Y to explore what is working in modern philanthropy and how to expand these innovations throughout the philanthropic sector. The concept gained steam, and with the help of the United Nations Foundation and other founding partners, more than 10,000 organizations have joined the movement and are providing creative ways people can embrace #GivingTuesday and collaborate in their giving efforts to create more meaningful results.

“It’s been a privilege to work with remarkable leaders all over the country building a movement around #GivingTuesday,” said Henry Timms, 92Y’s Executive Director. “This initiative has truly been crowd- sourced by some of the smartest and most connected minds among the next generation of philanthropists and entrepreneurs.”

Currently, more than 100 corporate and nonprofit organizations have committed to participate in the initiative.

“#GivingTuesday is a counter narrative to Black Friday and Cyber Monday because it reminds us that the spirit of the holiday giving season should be about community and not just consumerism,” said Kathy Calvin, CEO of the UN Foundation. “The most meaningful gift we can give our children, loved ones, friends and neighbors is the commitment to work together to help build a better world.”

Those who are interested in joining HelpMeSee’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit givingtuesday.helpmesee.org. For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow #GivingTuesday

(twitter.com/GivingTues) and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on Twitter

About HelpMeSee

HelpMeSee (www.HelpMeSee.org) is a global campaign to eliminate cataract blindness endemic in developing countries. The HelpMeSee mission is to make sight-restoring, MSIC surgery available to millions of underserved people through financial support and the training of thousands of highly skilled specialist cataract surgeons recruited from within their communities. HelpMeSee has designed and is now producing a virtual reality surgical simulator and training program to be implemented worldwide, adapted from extensive experience in simulator based aviation training.

About #GivingTuesday

#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give. It will culminate with a global day of giving on December 2, 2014. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners— charities, families, businesses and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a global moment that is dedicated to giving around the world.

To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit:

Website: www.givingtuesday.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday Twitter: twitter.com/GivingTues