Jason Hoskins, a 17 year old senior at Coventry High School, is spending the week of October 22-29 in the Dominican Republic with an incredible cause. The Entry was fortunate enough to speak with Jason about his mission, and learn some eye-opening facts about his trip.
Jason Hoskins, a 17 year old senior at Coventry High School, is spending the week of October 22-29 in the Dominican Republic with an incredible cause. The Entry was fortunate enough to speak with Jason about his mission, and learn some eye-opening facts about his trip.
Q: Why are you traveling to the Dominican Republic?
I’m going to the Dominican on a mission trip called “Vision DR”. The focus is on vision screening and vision correction for those in need.
Q: How many people are accompanying you on the trip and how many people are you planning to help?
Thirteen of us traveled here from the U.S. and there are about a dozen local volunteers. Our volunteers are accompanied by two optometrists, an optician, and a technician that carves and shapes the lenses. We plan to screen and make glasses for almost 400 people, ages ranging from as young as 4 to as old as 80.
Q: Why did you decide to participate in this mission?
I have always wanted to do a mission trip since I went to Mexico and saw the way people lived, and being here is very similar. There are many impoverished communities, ellos no tienen nada (they have nothing), I’m just here to help.
Q: How was this trip funded?
We have been planning for a year now and I had to raise money for lenses, frames, readers, sunglasses and the optometrists trips. I used social media and online fundraising sites, as well as held a pasta dinner which, alone, raised about $2500. The donations of so many friends and family actually allowed us to add another doctor to the trip, which was immensely helpful.
Q: How was this trip organized?
There were many hours put into the organization. We have seven stations with translators and each person at each station had to be trained to use their respective equipment. I had to learn to operate an autorefractor and tonometer in 20 minutes by practicing on people. There is little room for mistakes when you have only 4 days to screen and make glasses for so many people.
Q: Have you had any difficulties so far on the trip?
There is, of course, a language barrier, but I haven’t been struggling much.
Q: Would you participate in a trip like this again?
Yes, most definitely.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add about the mission?
Only that I wish there were more that I could do to help, because they have so little and I have so much, but there is so little I can do in comparison to their needs. There is such a need in these third world countries, and spreading the word and motivating others to pursue similar actions is just as important as the mission itself.
The Entry would like to thank Jason for taking the time to answer these questions, and also for his selfless actions in the Dominican Republic. Coventry High School is proud to have him as a representative of our Oaker Community!
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