Specsavers Ópticas launches national campaign for Guide Dogs Foundation

SPECSAVERS ÓPTICAS today launches a national fundraising campaign in aid of ONCE Foundation for Guide Dogs (FOPG), to help support vulnerable people with severe vision loss.

Naming ONCE as its official charity, the opticians has pledged to raise more than 5,000€ over the next year, to support the important work of the FOPG and the services it provides. The foundation runs the only centre which breeds and trains guide dogs for blind people, or those with serious vision loss, to help them gain better mobility and more independence.

Jorge Martínez de Lizarduy Araico, of Specsavers Opticas, says: "As an opticians, we’re passionate about improving the lives of people with sight loss, so we’ll be doing all we can throughout the year to raise funds for the foundation".

Vision loss can be incredibly isolating, leading to feelings of loneliness and depression. However, thanks to the foundation and the work they do, people can gain a new sense of independence and confidence.

"It’s equally important that people take a proactive approach to their eye health. Regular eye tests and early detection, followed by timely intervention and management of eye health conditions, could help save your sight."

Spain throughout 2020 in many different ways. The stores will also be sharing information with their customers about FOPG and the support they offer blind people in Spain, by providing more than 130 guide dogs to those in need each year.

For her part, the Managing Director of FOPG, Maria Jesús Varela, highlighted the importance of this collaboration with Specsavers Ópticas, an international company committed to eye health, which is showing its support to those people who require the help of a guide dog to improve their mobility, by launching this fundraising campaign.

She says it is an excellent example of corporate social responsibility in action and shows the way for many other companies who want

to support their communities and those less fortunate than themselves.

For FOPG, the agreement is not only important in terms of fundraising to support their important work, but also the chance to shine a light on the service they are offering, the role of guide dogs and the importance of offering the same rights of access for all people in society. ONCE itself, which offers the guide dog as a free social service for people affiliated with that organisation who request it and are eligible.

The FOPG is a permanent member of the International

ABOUT FOPG

Fundación ONCE del Perro Guía (FOPG) is a welfare foundation created by ONCE in 1990 with the purpose of breeding and training guide dogs for people with severe blindness or visual impairment. It provides its services to people with visual disabilities throughout Spain, by virtue of the collaboration with

Guide Dog Federation (IGDF), the European Guide Dog Federation (EGDF) and the European Breeding Network, a working group specialised in breeding and genetic improvement of guide dogs in Europe and the USA.

The foundation breeds its own dogs and takes responsibility for the entire process of training the guide dog and pairing it with the most suitable applicant. They also train the new owner how to make best use of this mobility aid and supports both the owner and the dog throughout its life as a guide dog.

The work of this foundation is essential to increase the autonomy of blind people or those with a serious visual disability. Changing from walking with a cane to doing it with a guide dog represents a huge improvement in their mobility, speed and security of their movements and allows them to integrate with society in a much more meaningful way.