[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 19 (Thursday, February 28, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING DR. ALBERT ALLEY AND THE WORLD BLINDNESS OUTREACH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GEORGE W. GEKAS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2002

  Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, every once in a while we hear of an 
individual whose gift of giving is so powerful that it must be 
recognized. Dr. Albert Alley of Lebanon, Pennsylvania is one of those 
individuals. and I would like to take this opportunity to honor and 
commend him and his colleagues for their tremendous generosity and 
benevolence.
  Dr. Alley, through his non-profit organization, World Blindness 
Outreach, has organized a team of doctors for an annual journey to 
Nicaragua for the past four years to provide free eye care and eye 
surgery to those who cannot afford such procedures. Helping him are 
William Busch, a physician from Pensacola, Florida; Eduardo Miller, a 
physician from Mexico; Richard Simmons, a physician from Westerville, 
Ohio; Bill Hoffman, an optometrist from Lebanon, Pennsylvania; Ron 
Johns, an optician in Dr. Alley's office; and Cheryl Strauss, an 
operating room technician from the Lebanon Outpatient Surgery Center. 
Not only do they provide the service, but they provide all the 
necessary tools and materials required to do that service because the 
hospital they work out of in Nicaragua cannot afford the equipment.
  This past January, these hard-working doctors spent a week working 
ten-hour days removing 85 cataracts and correcting 12 cases of 
strabismus. Already, they have plans to continue with this mission of 
goodwill in March to the Dominican Republic.
  Dr. Alley's dedicated passion and ability to spread his amity among 
his colleagues is a talent which we all endure to achieve. He is indeed 
a leader whose charitable work and medical help for those who cannot 
afford it serves as an inspiration to us all.
  As a perfect example of how giving is contagious, two women in 
Nicaragua, inspired by the work of Dr. Alley, collected $100 to donate 
to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani after hearing of the terrorist attacks in New 
York and Washington, D.C. this past September. Though this donation may 
not seem large by our standards, it was collected from individuals 
whose average annual income is $500.
  With the utmost respect and admiration, I commend Dr. Alley, Dr. 
Busch, Dr. Miller, Dr. Simmons, Dr. Hoffman, Dr. Johns, and Ms. Strauss 
in the noble and altruistic healthcare they provide to the citizens of 
Nicaragua. We hope his energy and motivation will proliferate among 
other medical professionals.

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