Davis Vision "Adopts" American Soldiers
Gifts & Letters Sent to Troops in Afghanistan
PLAINVIEW, NY (Nov. 11, 2008) – This week several boxes of food, gifts and eye care supplies will travel from Davis Vision’s Latham, NY, corporate office across the world to U.S. soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. The vision benefit provider recently became a sponsor for Adopt A US Soldier, a nonprofit agency created to boost morale among overseas military men and women. Through this agency, Davis Vision is sponsoring a unit of 10 soldiers in the U.S. Army.
“This initiative really took off, as our associates are so giving,” remarked Kathy Deguire, Human Resources manager for Davis Vision’s Latham, NY, office, who helped spearhead the collection drive along with Cindy Kane, member benefit technician, and Louise Alberti, programmer/analyst, also of the Latham office. The three women collected over 1,250 items from Davis Vision employees to be shipped to these men. Employees packed the boxes themselves for this week’s shipment, which is expected to reach Afghanistan by mid-December.
Included are eyeglass repair kits and cleaners, personal hygiene items, telephone calling cards, gum, food products, T- shirts, socks, soccer balls, footballs and a hand pump. The men specifically requested warm clothing and fleece blankets for the cold Afghanistan weather, which will also be part of the shipment.
“These men are involved in dangerous missions, perhaps border patrol, so we do not know very much about their location—only that the packages we send are dropped to their location by helicopter,” said Kane.
This is the company’s third mailing to the troops. Halloween candy was sent in time for the holiday, and a mailing for Veterans Day included personal notes from Davis Vision employees. “We are very proud to have been able to make this small contribution to our fighting men and women overseas,” said Alberti.
Davis Vision has a long history of involvement in outreach programs. It regularly hosts free vision screening clinics for children, and has also partnered with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, New York Children’s Vision Coalition, United Way, MercyFirst and other charities to make a difference in the community.
About Davis Vision
Davis Vision is part of the HVHC Inc. group of companies, which also includes Viva International Group and Eye Care Centers of America. One of the nation's premier managed vision care companies, Davis Vision has been providing comprehensive vision benefits for nearly 45 years, and currently serves over 55 million individuals nationwide through an extensive blended network of approximately 30,000 ophthalmologists and optometrists, in addition to many opticians and top national retail providers.
About Adopt A US Soldier
Adopt A US Soldier is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to connect supportive American civilians with soldiers overseas. It offers a channel through which citizens can communicate encouragement and express their gratitude to the men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces. For more information, visit www.ADOPTaUSsoldier.org.
