Eye See You | OGI Eyewear | Optical Community Support

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

— Anne Frank

Eye See You: Our Way of Giving Back

The power of a small business lies in the independence of its workers, uniqueness of its product assortment and the human-centered nature of its services. With such a close personal tie to their customers, small businesses directly feel the effects of social events and fluctuations. OGI Eyewear is here to help find a solution and help our customers to support independent optical communities during challenging times.

At OGI Eyewear, we stand for clear vision—which includes seeing when people around the world need our help. In May 2020, we started our Eye See You program to help communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the years since, it has evolved into a support channel for various humanitarian, health and social causes, both in the U.S. and globally.

OGI Eyewear Partners with Phillips Eye Institue in Support of Back-to-School Eye Care

It has been over a decade since OGI Eyewear became the exclusive eyewear provider for the Phillips Eye Institute’s mobile clinic providing glasses to the program for children in need. This year, on August 23rd, the Kirby Puckett Mobile Eye Clinic came to visit OGI’s offices. Over 700 pairs of OGI Eyewear brand frames were donated to help children start the school year on the right foot.

While OGI Eyewear participates in a variety of philanthropic initiatives through its Eye See You program, the partnership with Phillips Eye holds a special place. “With this partnership, we’re helping the kids down the block, the kids in the hometown that we love so much.” Greg Hodgson, Director of Operations at OGI Eyewear, speaks to this longstanding relationship.

As the exclusive eyewear provider for this project, OGI Eyewear gives these students the full shopping experience. Rather than being stuck with a limited selection that may not reflect each child’s individuality and spirit, they can browse OGI Eyewear’s varied styles and find just the right pair for their back-to-class look.

“OGI Eyewear’s mission has always been to create high-quality, eye-catching styles that amplify the wearers personality,” shared Hodgson, “so seeing young students find the perfect pair that does just that is a great moment of fulfilling our vision.”

Our past contributions

OGI Eyewear has a long history of supporting humanitarian, health, and social causes. View past activities from the Eye See You program and OGI Eyewear brands:

Phillips Eye Institute

Since 2020, we donated over 2000 OGI, Seraphin, and OGI Kids frames to the Phillips Eye Institute, a department of Abbott Northwestern dedicated to the treatment of eye diseases and disorders. Since our engagement started with this program, we’ve supported it with a frame retail value of over $2 million.

The H Foundation

SCOJO New York is proud to present the specially-created H Frame, a beautiful purple edition of our Gels Original style, to support The H Foundation as they raise money for basic cancer research.

SandCastles Camp

In 2022 and 2023, OGI Eyewear sponsored a camper at the SandCastles Camp, a summer program for children experiencing grief due to the loss of a loved one. Campers participate in traditional activities like swimming and crafts in a supportive environment.

Couture for Cancer

In March of 2021, 2022 and 2023, we donated several BluLite frames to Couture for Cancer, a woman-chaired, Topeka-based annual event where hundreds of women gather to fundraise for the American Cancer Society while also celebrating a shared love of fashion. The event raised over $100,000 to aid cancer, and we were honored to have multiple cancer survivors model our frames during their annual runway show!

Hurricane Fiona Relief Efforts

Following the devastation of Hurricane Fiona in 2022, OGI Eyewear and Optical Foundry Partners matched employee donations to the American and Canadian Red Cross. The total donation, including employee contributions, a dollar-for-dollar match, and additional company donations was $10,000, split evenly between the two organizations.

Colorado Coalition Vision Services

In April of 2022, we provided 200 pairs of OGI, Seraphin, Red Rose, and SCOJO New York frames to the Colorado Coalition, which provides a wide variety of services for homeless and financially challenged people in Colorado. Vision services include eye exams, glaucoma testing, patient advocacy, reading glasses, new glasses for patients needing significant correction, and more.

World Sight Day

World Sight Day is an international day of awareness dedicated to eye health, held every October by the The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). The impact of eye health goes beyond good vision: it can affect education, employment, physical and even social well-being.
To honor World Sight Day 2022, OGI Eyewear is highlighting its partner, Phillips Eye Institute.OGI Eyewear is proud to be a donor and partner of the Phillips Eye Institute. Since beginning our engagement with E.Y.E. we’ve provided a retail value of over $2 million in frames from our OGI, Seraphin, and OGI Kids collections. This year, OGI Eyewear donated 750 frames—a retail value of approximately $140,000.

Ukraine: A Place In Need of Hope

We have been committed to helping Ukraine since day one of the 2022 Russian Invasion. Over the years, we've partnered with many people from Ukraine, including IT specialists, illustrators, photographers, models, and more. This war hit us very close to home, and we're extremely saddened that the wonderful individuals we've worked with are now suffering such needless violence.OGI Eyewear, together with our SCOJO New York brand and our holding company, The Optical Foundry, has thus far raised over $30,000 in donations to Caritas Ukraine and the Ukrainian Red Cross. The Optical Foundry, a one-stop discovery portal that makes our brands visible to opticians, optometrists, and ophthalmologists, was a key player in helping us raise this amount. After our internal OGI team raised $9,710 to support relief efforts, Rob Rich, CEO of The Optical Foundry, matched that amount dollar for dollar and even rounded the final contribution up to $20,000. Then came our SCOJO New York brand, which donated 50% of March profits from its BluLite collection, pushing our total up to roughly $31,000. We're living in a time when fostering a global sense of community is more important than ever, and we encourage our friends, customers, partners, and colleagues to continue supporting Ukraine and other areas affected by war. Only through a collective call for peace and the ability to see all the ways we can help one another will humanity change the world for the better.

Black Writers History Month

In February of 2022 and 2023, our SCOJO New York brand donated profits from our Leroy Street and Broome Street frames to the Black Writers Collective in an effort to celebrate every Black writer who has a story to tell.

Martin Luther King Day 2022

In January of 2022, we donated OGI and Seraphin frames to Eye West Vision Clinic, a Minnesota clinic that helped distribute the items to people in need. This was our second donation in honor of Martin Luther King day.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, we donated 5% of all SCOJO New York profits to two nonprofits: National Alliance for Hispanic Health and National Association of Latino Arts and Culture.

Coalition for the Homeless

In December of 2021, we donated 5% of our SCOJO New York profits from a particular Sunday to Coalition for the Homeless to help people who don’t have housing.

International Women’s Day

In March of 2021, the theme for International Women’s Day was #ChooseTheChallenge, and SCOJO New York chose to offer 20% off sitewide while donating 5% of all Tribeca styles profits to Catalyst, an organization that produces research, programs, events, and solutions that have accelerated progress for women since 1962.

AAPI Community Support

In March of 2021, SCOJO New York showed its support for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community by donating 20% of purchases to the Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. Founded in 1991, Advancing Justice | AAJC is a nonprofit that supports the AAPI community through advocacy, litigation, and public policy advocacy.

Black History Month / Martin Luther King Day 2021

In January of 2021, our SCOJO New York brand donated 20% of its revenue for products sold on Martin Luther King day to the King Center. We wanted to celebrate this vital holiday not just in style but also with an eye toward a future that embraces peace, compassion, and equality—three things Dr. King fought and died for.

St. Therese Nursing Home

In November of 2020, we donated SCOJO New York frames to St. Therese Nursing Home, a nonprofit organization that provides the elderly in and around the Twin Cities with secure, stress-free living and exceptional, individualized care.

Roane State Community College Opticianry

In January of 2021, we donated 685 OGI Eyewear frames to Roane State Community College for Opticianry student training purposes. This program teaches students to design and fit eyewear, including glasses and contacts lenses, in retail, corporate, or entrepreneurial settings.

Project Homeless Connect / Homeless Communities In Need

In November of 2020, our SCOJO New York brand donated 300 frames to homeless communities in San Francisco, California, and 100 frames to homeless communities in Denver, Colorado. Donations were made via Project Homeless Connect in San Francisco and via Daniel Fieldman with The Optical Journal in Denver.

VOSH International

In November of 2020, we proudly donated 300 SCOJO reader frames to VOSH International, an organization of volunteers who are committed to establishing sustainable eye clinics for underserved communities in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Mexico. VOSH also helps support education for aspiring optometrists and offers glasses to those who can’t afford them.

Tubman

In November of 2020, we donated SCOJO New York frames to Tubman, Minnesota’s largest provider of domestic violence services. We stand behind its mission to provide resources and assistance for people struggling with domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health, and other forms of trauma.

National Breast Cancer Coalition

In October of 2020, we donated 5% of all SCOJO New York profits from our Fer Cute Magenta styles to the National Breast Cancer Coalition. This donation helped fund research for breast cancer while also raising awareness for the disease.

Leader Dogs for the Blind

In July of 2020, we donated $600 to Leader Dogs for the Blind via Midwest Eye Consultants. Leader Dogs for the Blind was the first dedicated dog training program for people who are deaf or blind. They provide dog training, GPS devices, training and orientation programs, and more.

Communities Affected by 2020 Civil Unrest

In 2020, we donated 200 OGI Eyewear frames—each $100 in value—to multiple independent optical shops who regularly purchase products from us. The idea was simple: to uplift local independent practices so they could help affected individuals during that summer’s period of civil unrest. These frames went to customers in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Kansas, and Illinois.

The Eye See You Program reinforces our commitment to build up communities with your help .