“I come to work everyday because I LOVE my coworkers. I LOVE that maybe in someone’s darkest time, we can bring a small light to help them share their loved one’s story, wishes and gift.

My heart is in speaking with the donor families. Even though some days it is hard not to cry with them or to maintain my composure, I hope that they get off the phone with me feeling like they can take a breath in that moment and have hope for their future as well as a recipient’s. I get to tell everyone how lucky I am to be in a place that has so much love and openness. I can’t narrow down my why to just one, it is hard to narrow it down to a handful. I was meant to help others and I feel like I can do that and be trusted in my process and ideas here. Whether I am helping a family or trying to make my co-worker’s day easier, it matters to me. I am so proud of what I do and that I am a part of such an amazing group of people.”

– Brenna Durham, Donor Services Center Supervisor

“I love working at Vital Tears because the culture is bar none. Support and desire to understand challenges comes from the very top; believing that we cannot achieve our mission without each person no matter their role.

Leadership is always asking what can be improved and if I have ideas on how to improve things. Most importantly, they ask how I am doing and actively listen. The cherry on top is getting to provide life changing products to patients in need quickly because we truly are mission focused.”

– Veronica McCloskey, Client Services – Vital Tears

“I like knowing that every day I show up and do my job it helps advance science regarding ocular disease and people get their vision back.”

– Nicole Taylor, Client Services Specialist

“Seeing donor family members tearful but aided in grief by donation lights my fire to do my best on every case.

I have been in that position, having comfort in knowing my loved one was able to do something so good in the end. If I can help make sure one more family gets that opportunity, that’s a win.”

– Mallory Thouvenot, Hospital Development Manager

“There are a million reasons why I love working here at Saving Sight/Vital Tears, but the one thing that hits closest to home is being able to see first-hand the impact our mission has on this world and being truly blessed to be part of something that is able to pull a positive light out of something most often felt as dark and heartbreaking.

We lost my uncle several years ago under incredibly tragic circumstances and we wish he was still with us every day, but knowing that he was a donor, and he was fortunately able to help others even after his passing, reminds us that a small part of him is still giving back to this world! Somehow that helps make it a tiny bit less overwhelmingly heart wrenching since we can’t hug him here anymore. ”

– Jessica Cody, Quality Assurance Specialist

“The main reason why I love working here is my team. I’m thankful that I get to work with genuinely kind people. I appreciate my teammates for their care, support, humor and understanding. They are a joy to work with, and more than that, they are a joy to get to know.

My secondary reason is the way I feel working for a mission that makes a significant difference in people’s lives. The impact of Saving Sight in the world is net good. I have deep respect for the work we all do and the impact we each have in the lives of so many.”

– Mehalet KesateBirhan, Digital Media Specialist