Hackettstown Rotary Club Has Donated over $23,000 to the Himalayan Cataract Project over the Past Five Years

Hackettstown, N.J., March 15, 2021 – There is no doubt that the Hackettstown Rotary Club makes an impact on other nonprofit organizations in many different ways.  Some of the local nonprofits that Hackettstown Rotary Club supports include Abilities of Northwest New Jersey, The Arc of Warren County, DASACC, Hackettstown Medical Center among many others.  In addition, Hackettstown Rotary supports international initiatives and has chosen to focus efforts on one organization in particular over the past five years – The Himalayan Cataract Project.  In fact, the organization’s giving impact to the Himalayan Cataract Project has been $23,480 since 2016.

Some of the projects that Hackettstown Rotary Club supported has included donating a bus to aid in transportation for patients and doctors, the cost of shipping the bus to Ghana, training of eye doctors and surgical outreach.  As a result of this support, the Hackettstown Rotary Club has facilitated 599 sight restoring surgeries in Ghana.

“This has been a truly fulfilling experience to be able to help this organization in such a significant manner,” says Robyn Jensen, President of Edward Jones in Hackettstown and Hackettstown Rotary Club Himalayan Cataract Project Outreach Committee Chair. “I have had vision issues myself, so this project definitely appealed to me. I am so pleased that Rotary could aid in so many surgeries. It is gratifying to be able to make such a huge difference in so many lives.”

The Himalayan Cataract Project was recently featured in The New York Times for their extraordinary work.  Two ophthalmologists, Dr. Sanduk Ruit and Dr. Geoff Tabin, started the Himalayan Cataract Project to fulfill their personal goals of eradicating as much unnecessary blindness in their lifetimes as possible.

Dr. Ruit and Tabin have proven that hospital quality standards can be applied in poor areas lacking electricity and clean water.  Their inventive approach and dogged perseverance made what 20 years ago was considered impossible – possible.  Today Himalayan Cataract Project reaches the most unreachable patients wherever its services are needed.

About Hackettstown Rotary Club

The 1.2 million-member organization started with the vision of one man—Paul P. Harris. The Chicago attorney formed one of the world’s first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, on 23 February 1905 as a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of each member.

Becoming a Rotarian connects people with a diverse group of professionals who share a drive to give back.  The Hackettstown Rotary Club meets weekly and discusses ways and creates programs to better the community.