Page 40 - Southern Oregon Magazine Summer 2019

neck of the woods | prof ile

and he was still sitting there. Finally, I said, “Okay, I’m going
to look in our inventory again.” I found a pair of bright pink
glasses. It was definitely a woman’s frame, but in the correct
prescription. We put them on him, and he cried with joy.
KURT: And then there is the amazing effect that the
experience has on our volunteers. AmigoVision enables non-medical
people to participate in a medical mission. This is such an exotic ex-
perience for somebody from the Rogue Valley who has never been to
a developing country, who’s never been a minority. The effect this has
on our volunteers is absolutely remarkable. It changes their lives.

We’ve had parents who want their kids to experience this also. We
had three younger folks with us in the last clinic, ages 12, 16 and 23.
Their enthusiasm, hard work and friendliness were absolutely phe-
nomenal. This experience will affect decisions that they make in their
lives forever. It certainly has with our daughters who participated in
earlier clinics.

Q: WHY DO YOU DO THIS WORK? WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

KURT: People want to be constructive members of their fami-
lies and communities, but because of limited vision, they’re unable to
do that. If we are able to resolve that barrier, they can contribute and

38 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | summer 2019