Hope Alliance was established 26 years ago in Park City. Originally, the alliance provided medical, dental and vision services internationally, but executive director Diane Bernhardt said the focus later changed to just vision care.
Services are now provided both locally and internationally.
“Here in Utah, we have a permanent clinic within the People's Health Clinic,” Bernhardt said on “The Local News Hour” Wednesday. “We also have a permanent clinic within the Moab Free Health Clinic, which is analogous to our People's Health Clinic. And we practice in Guatemala, Mexico, Uganda and last year, also Tanzania.”
The organization will host its signature fundraising event, "Night Vision," on Friday, August 23, at the Weedon Ranch in White Pine Canyon. Tickets are $200.
“It's a 12-acre property, and a couple bought it, and they've refurbished all of the property, but particularly this barn,” she said. “It was a true horse barn, and they've turned it into a party barn. And it's got lots of technology, you know, big screens, and a beautiful outdoor area that has fire pits. It's just really exquisite.”
This year’s Night Vision will include food and drinks, a DJ and line dancing as well as casino games. She said they will also unveil a new mobile clinic called the vision van.
“The van is primarily for helping and working in Utah,” she said. “What we found is that while we have these clinics, and they're great, we have a lot of wait lists. And what we wanted to do was try to find a way to eliminate the wait list, but also to solve the problem of patients getting to a physical clinic.”
The Hope Alliance’s volunteer-led teams provide eye exams and eyeglasses, especially sunglasses in the equatorial countries where untreated cataracts can lead to blindness.
All the event proceeds will directly support upcoming medical missions and the procurement of eyeglasses and testing equipment.
Click here for information about tickets and sponsorship opportunities.
