November is Eye Donation Month (EDM)!

We invite you to join us in celebrating Eye Donation Month. It is a special opportunity to honor cornea donor heroes and donor families, celebrate restored sight with cornea transplant recipients, recognize the important work of community eye banks and collaborate with healthcare professionals and community supporters on the Gift of Sight.

The Eye Bank Association of America announced that last year's theme is carrying over for 2023. The theme "A New View" - celebrates the new perspective on life that corneal transplant recipients experience after having their sight restored, and the change in viewpoint donor families express when the pain of a loved one’s death is at least partially mitigated by the opportunity to share the gift of sight with someone in need of a transplant.

There are several ways you can participate in the observance - Consider printing the Thankful Thursday series calendar filled with weekly activities you can complete - Join in the fun during our EDM virtual trivia contest, visit our Donate Life, Gift of Sight booth in San Antonio on November 18 - print our EDM poster featuring Sam, Cornea Transplant Recipient and post on a neighborhood community board/staff breakroom/local coffee shop community board - Follow us on social media to re-share and like our EDM posts throughout the month.

Partnering in Celebration

We always encourage hospital partners, funeral home partners, local cornea surgeons and businesses to participate in the Eye Donation Month activities stated above. Additionally, we are happy to encourage and support in-person and virtual presentations and events – such as the Donate Life Flag Raising ceremonies and Donate Life, Gift of Sight information tables hosted with hospital staff as highlighted above. Please reach out to us if you’d like support hosting any EDM activities or events.

Quilt Libraries for Life

We appreciate the community libraries that have again joined in celebrating Eye Donation Month through our Quilt Libraries for Life program. Beginning November 1st, the libraries listed below are displaying Gift of Sight Memorial Quilt Blankets, along with Donate Life, Gift of Sight educational brochures.

Books on the shelves of libraries are filled with stories and information for readers in the community. It is our hope that in reading and viewing the stories of donor heroes, viewers will be inspired to further educate themselves on the donation cause and consider registering as a donor.

·       Collins Garden Library - 200 N Park Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78204

·       Great Northwest Library - 9050 Wellwood, San Antonio, TX 78250

·       Johnston Library - 6307 Sun Valley, San Antonio, TX 78227

·       Leon Valley Public Library - 6425 Evers Rd., Leon Valley, TX 78238

·       Maverick Library - 8700 Mystic Park, San Antonio, TX 78254

·       McCreless Library - 1023 Ada St, San Antonio, TX 78223

·       Potranco Library - 8765 TX-151 Access Rd, San Antonio, TX 78245

·       Cortez Library - 2803 Hunter Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78224

·       Westfall Library - 6111 Rosedale Court, San Antonio, TX 78201

·     San Pedro Library - 1315 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TX78212

·       Thousand Oaks Library - 4618 Thousand Oaks Dr., S.A., TX 78233

If you are a patron of one of the above stated libraries, please share with the librarian or manager your appreciation for their support of Eye Donation Month.

Vintage Hot and Cold Brew- sipUPsignUP

We are very excited to partner with Vintage Hot and Cold Brew in our sipUPsignUP campaign for Eye Donation Month. If you're not a coffee fan, there is more than coffee on the menu. The shop offers a wide variety of hot and cold brewed coffees, energy drinks, smoothies, oatmeal bowls and pastries.

If you live or travel to the Rio Grande Valley this month, stop by to grab a cup of a tasty beverage, snap a photo with your cup and post on social media with the tag @saeyebank for the chance to win a weekly gift card.

Vintage Hot and Cold Brew

400 South Kansas Avenue, Weslaco, TX 78596

Open Tuesday thru Friday, 7am to 9pm

Saturday, 9am to 9pm

Sunday, 8:30am to 1pm

We'll be re-sharing tagged photos with the expectation of 1,000+ customers per month, and hope to see tons of sippers throughout November. If you own or manage a coffee shop and would like to participate next year, send us an email at info@saeyebank.org ,so we can plan to add you to the endeavor in 2024.

Celebrating Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is not specifically a part of Eye Donation Month activities. Nonetheless, we've celebrated the holiday that traditionally is celebrated in early November, with donor families and our community members for several years.

Thank you to the families who attended and captured photos of the RGV Bridging Lives - Gift of Sight Altar in Edinburg, Texas during the Los Muertos Bailan Block Party on October 21st. Please view our Facebook photo album of the celebration. The altar will remain available for viewing until November 5th.

In the RGV, we are also hosting altars at The Kelsey Bass Museum in Rio Grande City, Texas and Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum in Harlingen, Texas.

Our SA Bridging Lives - Gift of Sight Altar will be open for the community beginning on November 2nd at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. We have hosted the altar for over a decade thanks to our partnership with the center. For additional details on all of the altars, view the poster summary here.