Sight From The Heart Updates:
April 26, 2024 was a busy day!! We saw 28+ adults in need of eye care and glasses. We were blessed with cooperative weather. As usual, our team volunteered their time and our frame vendors donated new frames. See you in 2025!!
THE NEXT SIGHT FROM THE HEART WILL BE APRIL 26, 2024!! Remember, this event is for adults in our community who need an eye exam and glasses (not just for glasses only.) Those who do not have insurance, have broken or lost glasses and no way of purchasing glasses. We guarantee to see the first 25 people in line and will add additional patients as time allows. The line can start early and it’s first come first serve. See you then!
May 6th, 2022- Sight From The Heart was busy!! The first patient was in line at 5:00am! The team was able to assist 22 adults in our community with eye exams and new glasses! The weather was overcast and a bit chilly for the event at first, but people came prepared and didn’t have to wait too long.
April 2, 2021, Sight From The Heart was back on although the amount of patients adults that attended the event was down significantly from years past with only 8 adults coming to the event. This was due in part to the need to maintain safe distance and avoid crowding together. We also neglected to advertise as heavily as we have in the past. Still, the team once again donated their time and energies to this great event.
The 11th Annual Sight From The Heart 2020 was CANCELLED due to the pandemic. We look forward to getting back to this wonderful event next year.
The 10th Annual Sight From The Heart on April 25th, 2019 was able to help 29 adults in our community! The Hertneky Vision Source Team and Doctor donated their time for this awesome event!
The 9th Annual Sight From The Heart on April 27th, 2018 was another huge success. We were able to take care of 28 adults in our community that were in need of an eye exam and glasses. Thank you to the Brush Grocery Kart and Hometown Bakery for your generous donations!
The 8th Annual Sight From The Heart was April 21st, 2017. Our first patient was in line at 3:00am!! We were able to help 32 patients this year. Once again, the weather didn’t cooperate, umbrella’s were the accessory for the day. Thank you to The Sweet Side for donating morning doughnuts, Duffens Optical for prescription lenses, A&A Optical for optical frames. Dr. Hertneky and his team donated their time to help as many adults during this time as we could! Thank you to everyone who braved the weather!
Dr George Heneky checks Kimbery Trujillo’s eyes.
(Left to Right) Melissa Hertneky, Dr. George Hertnecky, Jennifer Flores, Stephaine Griggs, Alejandra Ramos, John Richter, Stacia Holman, Felisha Neiwert. Everyone was still smilling after seeing 33 patients.
Jennifer Jacquez runs some tests onf Jose Burgos’ eyes.
The 7th annual Sight From The Heart Event is April 29th, 2016. Starting at 8:00am, this event is for ADULTS in our community who are having difficulty making ends meet, haven’t had an eye exam in 5+ years, and do not have any form of insurance. Please be prepared to wait outside until your number is called, we guarantee the first 25 people. This means you will need to dress for the weather. If you have attended one of our previous events, we ask that you allow another adult to take your place who has not benefited from our care.
Dr. Hertneky’s Humanitarian Trip to Haiti
A week in Haiti to provide eye care to Haitians
Optometry Giving Sight is a charitable organization whose mission is to train local eye care professionals in order to establish vision centers that can deliver local eye care and low cost glasses in poor, third world countries. This is achieved by raising funds to establish optometry schools and clinics in third world countries so that native residents can be trained to help take care of their own population. Instead of having a medical team go to a country, provide medical eye care for a week and then leave, this allows the country to grow their own care in a sustainable way. It subscribes to the teaching, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.” philosophy.
The number one cause of preventable blindness in the world is not having a pair of glasses. More than 600 million people around the world are blind or are sight impaired because they do not have access to the eye examination and glasses that they need. There are many children being taught Braille in third world countries who would have normal vision with a simple pair of glasses.
Dr. Hertneky was in Haiti for a week and provided eye care to the Haitians. He had done similar clinics in Indonesia and Mexico as an optometry student, but this was his first opportunity to do it as a real doctor.
The whole purpose of his trip was to be an ambassador for Optometry Giving Sight in order to raise awareness of the lack of eye care facilities in Haiti.Optometry Giving Sight is in the process of raising $1 million to build an optometry school there. They have already helped in countries such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia to name a few.
The team of 9 that Dr.Hertneky was part of flew into Cap Haitian, Haiti on January 10th and saw almost 1700 Haitians over the course of the week. His group consisted of four optometrists, two 4th year optometry school students, and 3 ladies ranging from ages 13 to 22. Cap Haitian is on the south side of Haiti and has a population of 1 million people. The earthquake hit the north side of Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince, but had very little effect on the south side of the island where Cap Haitian is located. But, Cap Haitian pretty much doubled in size after the earthquake as many people moved there from the Port-au-Prince side as there was very little damage there.
Be sure to check out the gallery to see pictures of some of the wonderful people Dr.Hertneky was lucky enough to get to work with and meet!!!
Sight From the Heart 2015
April 17, 2015 starting at 8:00am
YAY!The 6th annual SFTH day was once again a very rewarding day.We were able to give away over $15,000 in exams and glasses to those in need. Many brave souls braved the rain and wind to camp outside the office for their chance at getting a free eye exam and glasses. Although people in need have in the past started lining up at 4pm the night before, the first in line this time was at midnight.All in all, 33 local folks in need were helped by this years event. As in the past, the Brush Grocery Kart provided lunch, the Rising Sun Bakery provided donuts, and several eye industry companies donated frames and lenses to help our neighbors.It is a great thing when people can come together to help others and we are thankful we all get to be a part of it.
Sight From The Heart 2014
May 16, 2014 Starting at 8:00am
This is our 5th SFTH event and once again had a very successful and rewarding experience. We helped 34 adults in our community ensure their eyes are healthy and get them into a new pair of glasses! The first patient was in line at 4:30am, by 7:30am there were 20 people in line! At 7:30am RISING SUN BAKERY delivered 4 dozen fresh donuts! By 8:45am WILLOW COFFEE, TEA AND SMOOTHIES had got coffee ready. Lunch was provided by BRUSH GROCERY KART.
Thank you to MARCHON and AA OPTICAL for donating some great frames for the patient’s to choose from, and thank you to DUFFENS OPTICAL DENVER for donating single vision and lined bifocal lenses as well as donating the edging services. We can’t have such a successful event without these generous donations!
NEXT YEAR THE EVENT WILL BE ON APRIL 17TH, 2015, mark your calendars!
Sight From The Heart 2013
May 17, 2013 starting at 8:00am
WOW! What a day! When the dust settled, we were able to help 29 people from our community see better and feel better! The first patients were in line the afternoon before at 5:30pm and waited all night. The day started out sunny and warm and got even warmer!
In the morning, everyone waiting was treated to fresh coffee donated by Willow Coffee, Tea and Smoothies on Edison Street and fresh donuts from Rising Sun Bakery on Clayton Street (thank you so much for your donations!). Lunch was provided by The Grocery Kart and John Sweenie, his 3rd year participating with our event. Thanks John!
Once again, Dr. Hertneky and Staff donated their time and skills to help the people waiting to see better and provide important eye health education. Thanks to A & A Optical for eyeglass frame donations and to Duffens Optical Denver for the donations of single vision and bifocal lenses.
We look forward to the next Sight From The Heart on May 16, 2014. See you there!!
Sight From The Heart Testimonials 2012
This year the first patients were in line the afternoon before at 4:30! By 7:30am on the day of the event we had 15 people in line. When all was said and done we helped 31 people. It was a wonderful day filled with gratitude and great energy.
The Doctor and Staff donated their time that day. Thanks to Dan Barker at the Fort Morgan Times for your wonderful front page article about Sight From The Heart, we had many patients say that the reason they knew about the event was from seeing the article. Thanks to John Sweeney at the Brush Grocery Kart for donating lunch to the people in line as well as the staff and Doctor. Duffens Optical in Denver donated single vision and bifocal lenses to the event. Frames were donated by Marchon, Safilo USA and A & A Optical. Thanks to our patient, Nancy Cable who came to see if we needed help in the morning, perfect timing!
Photos of the event will be uploaded to our Facebook web page. Be sure to come by the office to view the new Sight From The Heart poster board which should be up shortly.
Thanks again to everyone who made this day so awesome!
Sight From The Heart” Testimonials 2011
Video testimonials were taken on the day of the event, please go to our Facebook page to view the video’s and see pictures of the event. Thanks again to the staff and vendors who donated their time to our special day.
Sight From the Heart” Testimonials 2010
- “I had a great experience at this clinic. Very nice and helpful people. They were all very informative and efficient. I was afraid to get glasses and I am so happy that I came here. Thank you all.”S. K., May 14, 2010
- “I have not been able to get glasses in over four years. Thanks to the WONDERFUL staff and kindness of Dr. Hertneky. I can see again! Thank you everyone for the superb service and great selection.”G. D., May 14, 2010
- “This has been a wonderful experience. The staff and Doctor were very professional, yet friendly and helpful. Everyone was nice and very eager to help and put you at ease and explain things or answer any questions.”J. H., May 14, 2010
- “My experience here was a wonderful one from start to finish. Everyone was very polite and nice. Exams were good. Dr. Hertneky was very nice. I would recommend him to everyone that needs eye exams.”P. R., May 14, 2010