22ND EYE DONATION FORTNIGHT CELEBRATIONS
Aravind-Madurai, September 6
Rotary Aravind International Eye Bank celebrated 22nd Eye Donation Fortnight on September 6, 2007 in association with Indian Oil Corporation, Madurai. The celebration started with Eye Donation awareness rally which was organized from Goripalayam Junction to LAICO. Madurai Police Commissioner Mr. Nandabalan flaged off the rally. Aravind staff as well as 250 school and college students participated in the rally.
      Eye donation awareness function started with prayer song. Dr. S. R. Krishna Das, C.M.O welcomed the gathering. Madurai District Collector Mr.S.S.Jawahar was the chief guest of the function. Dr.M.Srinivasan Director of AEH and President of Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI) delivered the Eye Donation Fortnight Message. Eye donation motivators from various eye donation centres were honored in this celebration. Eye Donor’s and Recipient’s (Cornea transplantation) Family expressed their views on eye donation. Later Indian Oil Corporation Manager Mr.T.Varaprasad Rao spoke on Social Entrepreneurship on eye donation. Function ended with vote of thanks.
      Besides this eye donation rally, various eye donation awareness programmes were conducted in colleges. As per our request, BSNL Madurai had displayed posters, printed eye donation message in Phone bills and spread the message through Interactive Voice Response System.

Aravind-Puducherry, September 14
Eye Donation Fortnight was celebrated at Aravind-Puducherry on September 14, 2007. Around 30 voluntary organizations and family members of eye donors participated in the function. Thiru T.M. Balakrishnan, Health Secretary of Puducherry, Thiru. Rajendra Ratnoo, District Collector, Cuddalore, Thiru K. Srinivasan, Chief Regional Manager, Indian Overseas Bank, Puducherry and MJF. LION. P. Ashok Kumar Chordia, District Governor participated in the function. Dr.R.D.Ravindran, CMO, in his felicitation thanked all the voluntary organisations and family members for their support and said that Aravind Eye Hospital as a whole had received around 10,512 eyes during the past 8 years and 4282 were used for surgery. Programme came to an end with vote of thanks by Dr. Venkatesh, Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

Aravind- Tirunelveli, August 25-September 8
The 22nd National Eye Donation Fortnight was observed in Aravind-Tirunelveli from August 25-September 8, to create awareness in the public regarding the need to participate along with us in eradicating needless and avoidable corneal blindness.
      As a part of this programme the interactive session on “the need for eye donation” was held at the hospital auditorium to the in patients and the out patients on everyday between 1.30pm to 2.30pm. There was also an exhibition in the hall behind the auditorium. On August 30th eye donation meeting was conducted with the volunteers in the Junior Chambers Rotary International and Rotary Club of Tirunelveli West.
      On September 28 Dr.R.Ramakrishnan, CMO, gave a talk related to eye donation to public in All India Radio and as an outreach programme Dr.Meenakshi, Medical Consultant delivered a talk at Palayamkottai to self help groups regarding eye donation on September 2.