ANNUAL REPORT 2004 - Luxottica Group

Give the Gift of Sight is a Luxottica Group foundation
aimed at improving the vision of people who cannot
afford eyecare. Through the volunteer efforts of
Luxottica Group employees, optometrists, vendors
and charitable partners, free eye exams and
eyeglasses are provided to people in need in North
America and throughout the world.
Care is provided in a variety of ways. In North America,
eye exams are performed at clinics, schools and
community centers, or on-site through mobile vision
vans specially equipped for eyeglasses
manufacturing. The vans continuously travel across
North America to help people in need.
The Gift of Sight Foundation also provides vision care
around the world. Teams of associates, vendors and
doctors travel from North America to join forces with
local charitable partners around the world to provide
free eye exams and eyeglasses to communities in
need. Since 1991, 88 international missions took place
in over 25 countries. During this time, approximately
1,200 associates have volunteered their services
through these missions.
Give the Gift of Sight also collects, through Luxottica
Group’s retail locations and other sources, used
prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses. These are
cleaned, recycled and classified by prescription to
match them as closely as possible with the
prescriptions of recipients.
HISTORY
Give the Gift of Sight started operating in 1988
according to the belief that, “vision is not a luxury, but
the right of every human being”. Originally operating
only in North American cities as part of the retail optical
chain LensCrafters, the foundation gradually
expanded its reach to non-urban areas and
internationally.
The acquisition of LensCrafters by Luxottica Group in
1995 helped the program expand more rapidly,
including to various other entities of the Group. In
2004, in particular, the participation of Sunglass Hut
through “Recycle Huts” helped collecting sunglasses
which were used in international missions in areas
where more direct exposure to sun rays is particularly
harmful to the eyes.
The Foundation's original goal, to help one million
people in need by 2003, was met in 1999 when the
mobile facility in Oregon gave its first pair of
eyeglasses to a six-year old girl named Jessica. In
2001, in Bolivia, Julia became the two millionth person
to receive eyecare from Give the Gift of Sight. The three
millionth person to receive help was Gabriel, a boy in
Guayaquil, Ecuador, who received a new pair of
eyeglasses in 2003.
VALUES
ANNUAL REPORT 2004
GIVE THE GIFT OF SIGHT,
A LUXOTTICA GROUP FOUNDATION
The Give the Gift of Sight program has touched the
lives of millions of people while providing a unique
opportunity for its volunteers to express their values by
helping others in a life-altering way. Participation in the
Foundation's missions and programs also strengthens
the Group internally, drawing people together around
core values of respect for diversity, teamwork and
serving those around you.
Integration - For the first time, in 2004 Italy-based
employees of Luxottica Group participated as
volunteers on international missions, while Sunglass
Hut joined in the effort by helping to collect
sunglasses. These experiences, created through the
Give the Gift of Sight programs, have also helped build
tremendous bridges between cultures and
colleagues.
Respect for diversity - Getting to know different
people, locally and through international missions, and
57