The Hope Alliance has something big to celebrate for its 25th anniversary.

The nonprofit that provides sustainable support to underserved communities by providing vision care and eyeglasses has sold out its Night Vision fundraiser that is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 23, at the Pendry Plaza at Canyons Village.

“We sold out three weeks after tickets went on sale,” said Associate Executive Director Stacey Lipton. “It’s been wonderful to have that type of support from the community.”
Although the event is sold out, people who weren’t able to register can still participate and support the organization online, according to Lipton. 

“First off, we have an opportunity drawing that people can enter,” she said. “The prize is a four-night stay at a luxury safari camp in Botswana. It’s an amazing place, and it’s a $15,000 value.”

Tickets for the opportunity drawing are $100 a piece, and they can be purchased by visiting The Hope Alliance’s website and clicking on the Night Vision page, Lipton said.

“That will take you to a page that has the opportunity drawing tab, and that will take you to a short video to see what it’s like,” she said.

Another way to participate and support the cause is through an online auction.

“Bidding will go live this Friday, but all of the items have been posted on our website,” Lipton said. “So, people can check out the items now by clicking the auction items tab.”

The items include stays at a home in Las Vegas and a cabin in Capitol Reef, a fire engine ride to school, wine pairing lunch in Napa Valley, designer sunglasses from Oliver Peoples, RockResorts Spa at the Grand Summit credits and other items from Vail Resorts, including lift tickets to Park City Mountain and restaurant credits, Lipton said. 

“It really means a lot to us that these people and companies donated to our auction,” she said. “It shows they really believe in us and in the work they do and our mission.”

The third way to support The Hope Alliance is through donations, but Lipton said the fundraiser’s organizing committee thought it would be more fun to open the opportunity drawing and auction online.

“We decided to do that because we wanted to reach a larger audience and get everyone involved,” she said.

The goal for this year is to raise $100,000, and the money will go to all of the nonprofit’s programs, which not only service Park City and Moab, but people in Uganda, Guatemala and Mexico, Lipton said.

“The auction will shut down at the end of the night, and the opportunity drawing will be announced during the event,” she said.

The Hope Alliance hasn’t hosted its Night Vision fundraiser since 2019, so this year sees it back on track, according to Lipton.

“We didn’t really know what the response would be, so we kept the in-person event small,” she said. “And a lot of this event is to remind people that we’re still here.”

Dr. John Hanrahan founded The Hope Alliance with Reverend Joe Mitchell founded The Hope Alliance in 1999, and has since brought vision care to thousands of people in Guatemala, Uganda and Mexico. The nonprofit is starting to offer vision care this year in Tanzania. Credit: Courtesy of the Hope Alliance

Dr. John Hanrahan and Reverend Joe Mitchell founded The Hope Alliance in 1999, and it had a broader mission then.

“We started by taking teams of volunteers — medical, surgical, dental and vision — only to international locations, and we broadened the scope from healthcare to other things,” said Hanrahan, who is now the nonprofit’s board chair. “So, if we were in a village in Peru or Ghana and they needed a clean water supply or a mirco-credit loan program for the women, we would work by getting grants and expertise to make that happen.”

Over time, The Hope Alliance narrowed its scope, and for the past five years, it has focused on vision care.

“Our local and Utah regional presence, like the clinic we started in Moab, has also become a bigger part of our work,” Hanrahan said.

During the coronavirus pandemic, The Hope Alliance stopped its international expeditions, according to Hanrahan.

“In 2021, we restarted our work in Mexico and then returned to Uganda and Guatemala,” he said. “This year we are starting a new area in partnership with an ophthalmology group that will be doing cataract surgery in Tanzania. We will still do eye exams and prescriptions, but we will refer people who need eye surgery.”

Hanrahan wants to make it clear that The Hope Alliance doesn’t perform eye surgeries.

“We do screening eye exams for anyone who needs them,” he said. “We are trying to work with the school districts so we can screen all the students on an annual basis. The goal is to see everyone, and we’ll keep working on it.”

If the patients don’t pass the screening, they get a comprehensive eye exam, Hanrahan said.

“We provide prescriptions, and we have a partnership with a foundation who provides lenses and frames for those who can’t afford them,” he said. “If we find glaucoma, cataracts or retinopathy, we have a referral system to local ophthalmologists who can give the definitive care needed.”

The Hope Alliance’s mission is what drew Lipton to the nonprofit after meeting and getting to know Executive Director Diane Bernhardt, who wasn’t available to talk because she was returning from a vision excursion to Uganda. 

“I have had bad vision all of my life, but I don’t suffer much because I have good insurance and I can go to the doctor,” Lipton said. “However, it dawned on me when I learned about The Hope Alliance that there are people, including those in our local workforce, who can’t get that type of care and can’t see leaves on the trees. So, its mission is a big deal for me. It’s personal because vision is a personal thing, and it can affect people’s lives in a profound way.”

The Hope Alliance NIght Vision fundraiser