The image by professional photojournalist Scott Sommerdorf of the Salt Lake Tribune was recently featured in one of the photographer blogs that I follow: wearephotographers.com.

Scott creatively captured an image of an eye chart reflected off the cornea, a perspective that is not usually thought of. (At the risk of stating the obvious: great photographers do that.)

This has inspired me to go make even more creative and uncommon images.

Top: Andrea H, Caryn N, Courtney M, Lisa M; Bottom: Gabrielle H, Chelsy P, Tina R, January V

A high tea? I didn’t know that tea was an event, like a swim meet, a concert, or a meteor shower. It seems I need to increase my awareness.

VSP’s Asian Pacific Islander (API) employee resource group recently participated in My Sister’s House 4th annual High Tea event.

The event is a fund-raising effort to increase awareness in the Asian Pacific Islander community that domestic violence is not limited by ethnicity or culture.

VSP’s API employee group invested its efforts as lead sponsor for My Sister’s House because by supporting a non-profit that largely supports the needs of very diverse Asian and Pacific Island women and children, we are able to connect with the larger local Asian and Pacific Island community.

The competitive part comes to play where each table’s decorators work to outdo each other in designing the most elegant centerpieces and table decorations.

Chelsy P from VSP took the lead to design our table. Our table was elaborately decorated to provide a showcase for our Marchon and Altair eyewear lines and created quite a conversation piece. It was an important opportunity to network and encourage others in our community to speak out against domestic violence.

To read more about diversity at VSP, click the “diversity” tag below.

Andy Gee, Member of VSP's Asian Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group

When I learned that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I wanted to blog about it without turning it into a geo-political sermon, a cultural diversity lecture, or an American history lesson (yawn).

As we say good-bye to May, I wanted to leave you with this. I thought it would be interesting to examine common words used in the English language that had their roots in Asian cultures, sort of the weaving of Asian cultures into America’s gingham, er, fabric.

I’m going to skip the too-obvious food-related words (wok and ramen), or martial arts terms (ninja and judo) that retain their cultural link.

Instead, I highlight ten words that you might not have known had Asian origins.

Now, back to my work as a technical communicator. And somehow today, I’m going to fit this sentence in:

“The gung ho honcho with the tattoo tripped, spilling the ketchup on the tycoon’s lap.”

(For more Asian words in English, see “Gung Ho, Tycoon, Amuck” from InfoPlease.com.)

BionX e-bike

• test-ride the BionX e-bike, an integrated motor that assists a cyclist, extending the bicycle commuter’s range.
• check out the latest hybrid vehicles (did you just spend $60 filling your tank?) and sign up for alternative transportation (carpooling, cycling, light rail).
• taste and buy some fresh, locally-grown strawberries, feel the heat from Solar Cookers International, and learn about Soil-Born Farms’ efforts to help discover healthy living and grow a sustainable community.

Reducing e-waste, using water efficiently, actively recycling our e-waste, increasing our energy efficiency, and reusing office products are just some of the weapons that the Green Guardians wielded today, with the help of local vendors.

 Who are the Green Guardians?

VSP employees who volunteer to educate and motivate coworkers on ways we can be responsible guardians of our planet, every day at work are known as our Green Guardians.

It’s not coincidence that one of our corporate values is: “We positively impact our communities and environment in ways that truly make a difference in people’s lives.”

What ways do you participate in Earth Day activities?

Andy Gee a.k.a. GeeWhizKid

At this past weekend’s Health Fair & Forum in Sacramento, 14 VSP employees volunteered their Saturday to staff an information booth, provide low-level vision assessments, or assist doctors Elisabeth S. Swan, O.D. and Thomas R. Swanson, O.D. who were also volunteering their services in SeeLia, one of the VSP mobile clinics. 

 Several of the VSP volunteers share their thoughts from the experience. 

 Marian H. assisted patients in the screening:    

“The vision assessment showed that both a man and his daughter were in need of our services. The daughter is in the second grade and wants to be a teacher or a scientist when she grows up. She was having trouble seeing at school so her teacher moved her closer to the front of the class.
He knew they both needed corrective eyewear but had absolutely no way of providing for himself and his daughter.
I explained the importance of annual comprehensive eye exams and set him up with a VSP Mobile Eyes voucher and a doctor directory.
I couldn’t believe the change in his demeanor. He was so happy he started crying and it took a few minutes to get him calmed down. I assured him we were happy to provide this service.”  

 Judy M. assisted patients in low-level vision assessments and discovered:    

“My most memorable moment was when I realized the young man I was talking to was having a sight-threatening issue, knowing time was so important to saving his eyesight.
Sure, I could be at home or going to a movie, you know, comfortable things. But for so many people there is little comfort. The people that come to these events come for a very real reason. It’s a need.” 

 Juliet C. manned the information booth, educating visitors on health risk factors prevalent in the African American community. 

VSP Employees (L to R): Koi R., Juliet C., Cynthia S. and Doris B. volunteering at the VSP information booth

“I volunteered for this event because of the importance of educating the community on various health risk factors such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.”  

Cynthia S. helped educate visitors on what makes up a comprehensive eye exam.  

“I volunteered at this event because I grew up in the neighborhood, and this was a way of giving back to the community. I met parents of people I went to school with and it felt good to be able to educate them on the many diseases that can be detected through the eyes. It was amazing how many people didn’t understand the difference between their perception of an ‘eye exam’ and a ‘comprehensive eye exam’ from a VSP doctor.”  

Jenny B. assisted in the vision assessment process.  

“..to see someone’s face when they realize that VSP isn’t expecting anything from them, that the exam and glasses given to them are free just so they can see better! I met a 52-year old woman who had never had an eye exam in her lifetime, making do with $2 ‘cheaters’ that really didn’t fix her vision problems!”  

Me? I got to merge my photography hobby with my desire to volunteer in the community and work alongside VSP employees who I don’t see everyday! Check out the photos from the event at VSP’s Flickr gallery.  

VSP Regional Vice President, Frank Romeo and daughter Maggie Sue, winner of Regis & Kelly's Most Beautiful Baby Contest.

“It all started with a random photo taken by my wife Dana in our backyard,” explains VSP’s Frank Romeo as he shares behind-the-scenes events that unfolded over the course of a whirlwind week in New York.

LIVE! with Regis and Kelly was holding a baby photo contest, looking for one child to appear on the cover of Parenting Magazine for the 2010 Beautiful Baby Search.

“Our goal was to just have the photo posted on the Regis and Kelly photo gallery with thousands of other photos. My wife Dana checked the Web site weekly but never saw the photo.” says Frank, a VSP regional vice president in Georgia.

The photo that started it all.

Then, the week began to unfold…

Monday, March 1

The top 10 semi-finalists were revealed on the show, and Maggie Sue Romeo was in the Top 10!

“The online voting started immediately and with the help of friends and family [and thousands of online voters] Maggie made the Top 5! The show producers called Dana right after the show and [according to the contest rules for the week-long event], gave her four hours to get to the airport to New York. I was traveling on business, so my mother-in-law made the trip with Dana and Maggie.

Maggie hams it up for the photographer.

I was able to make it to New York for the shows to meet the top 5 andthe final show with the reveal. Dana and I met Tom Hanks, Apolo Ohno, and other celebrities. I confirmed that I’m taller than Regis.”

And the winner is…Maggie Sue Romeo!

Cover of the next issue of Parenting Early Years magazine

“For Maggie, the experience meant eating cookies on the plane, riding in a taxi without a car seat, coloring photos for her new friends, sitting in Kelly’s lap, playing kitchen in the green room, missing a couple of naps, going on a trip without her big sisters, playing with the balloons after the show, going to the Toys”R”Us in Times Square, eating ice cream with every dinner, and playing dress up at the Parenting Magazine studio.”

Maggie with mom Dana.

Maggie will appear on the cover of Parenting Early Years. LIVE! has partnered with Gerber to provide her with $125,000 to be used toward a college education. “The big $125,000 cardboard check (a ‘lollar folership’ which is a 3-year-old’s way of saying ‘college scholarship’) is great for chasing sisters around the house. It was truly a great experience and a lot of fun.”

Congratulations to Frank, Dana, and Maggie Sue!

Andy G. is a member of VSP's Sales team.

Do you have problems applying eye drops? Do you tend to miss your eye and waste several drops down your cheek?
Then, you need the funnel vision frames.

OK, these frames aren’t really available under your VSP vision care benefits. They are just one of many Chindogu creations by Japanese inventor Kenji Kawakami.

The Japanese literal translation of Chindogu is “unusual tools.”

At first glance, a Chindogu invention may seem like an interesting answer to the problem. But if the Chindogu was actually used, it would create possible ridicule for the user or cause other interesting problems. Because the inventions are not really useless but impractical, the term “unuseless” was also coined.

Inventor Kawakami also created the “Chindogu Ten Commandments,” which are:

1. A chindogu must not actually be used
2. It must have some function.
3. It must have an anarchic element.
4. It must be a tool for everyday life.
5. It must not actually be put on the market.
6. It must not be only for the purpose of humor.
7. It must not be for black humor.
8. “Dirty” jokes are forbidden.
9. It must not be for profit.
10. It must be usable internationally.

If you search images for “Kenji Kawakami” you’ll find other interesting Chindogu inventions.

Andy G. is a member of VSP's Sales team.

Why is VSP on Twitter? Can I follow VSP’s tweets? This blog will answer these and other questions, in fewer than 140 characters. Read on.

Why Twitter?

Twitter, just one of many social media channels we use, provides searchable, public, visible access to relevant conversations.

Twitter’s 140-character limit means we have to get to the point. We write with accuracy, brevity, and clarity. We use meaningful words.

Tweets can include shortened URLs. A 50-character link like http://vspblog.com/2009/06/19/new-vsp-group-blog/ becomes http://bit.ly/12151Q

Who are the VSP Twitterers?

SeeLia and SeeZar are tweeting on the road. Who are SeeLia and SeeZar? VSP’s mobile clinics, sent out to provide self-contained vision care.

Hurricanes Katrina and Ike taught VSP that our initial response teams had to bring everything that doctors could use for patient care.

SeeLia and SeeZar are tweeting about visiting sites, helping at natural disasters, and offering our services at schools and community events.

VSPVisionCare tweets news, tips, advice, and information relating to eyecare and VSP vision benefits.

Eyehealthcare tweets about news and studies focusing on chronic disease and eyecare’s connection to overall body health.

Sign up with a username and email. Then follow @vspvisioncare @seelia @seezar @eyehealthcare. (Under their profile photo, click “follow.”)

Follow AndyG on Twitter @geewhizkid.

VSP audience in a facilitated training session

This past week, I participated in a VSP training course on how to be an effective facilitator. At the start of the class, we quickly reviewed some ground rules for participants. The rules are designed to aid facilitation, to ensure that everyone is equally heard, to make wise decisions with our time, and ensure we all get the most benefit from the course.

1. Allow and encourage others to contribute.
2. Appreciate the other person’s point of view.
3. Enter into the discussion enthusiastically.
4. Feel free to ask questions.
5. Follow established timeframes.
6. Give freely of your experience.
7. Keep confidences and assume others will.
8. Listen attentively.
9. Practice learned skills.
10. Provide constructive feedback and receive it willingly.

These groundrules aren’t rocket science. The rules are common courtesy, just gentle reminders of social graces.

I couldn’t help but notice how similar these rules are to the rules we give preschoolers. All right, they’re worded differently, for us grownups. But they are preschool rules nonetheless.

It’s refreshing to be reminded, as adults, of the things we first learned as kids.

So, with a tip of my hat to all those preschool teachers and parents, here are VSP’s ten ground rules for training participants, grouped under the three rules for preschoolers.

“Share.”

• Give freely of your experience.
• Allow and encourage others to contribute.
• Feel free to ask questions.

“Play nicely.”

• Appreciate the other person’s point of view.
• Provide constructive feedback and receive it willingly.
• Keep confidences and assume others will.

“Do what I say.”

• Practice learned skills.
• Follow established timeframes.
• Enter into the discussion enthusiastically.
• Listen attentively.

Hm, now that I see these ten rules in this new light, maybe we should just use these three?