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Outside Magazine February 2005

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Destinations: Adventure Altruism
Giving Large (cont.)


	Himalayan Cataract Project Co-Director Dr. Sanduk Ruit performs a rural exam (courtesy, Himalayan Cataract Project)

Geoff Tabin
Himalayan Cataract Project
802-847-3843 | www.cureblindness.org
Doctors aren't sure exactly why, but the high-altitude regions of Central Asia have some of the highest rates of cataract-caused blindness in the world—nearly half of the people in Tibet lose their vision by age 70. Yet as Geoff Tabin, an American ophthalmologist and pioneer of Everest's east face, knew when he cofounded the Himalayan Cataract Project in 1995, cataracts are preventable and treatable with proper medical care. The HCP, based at the Tilganga Eye Center, in Kathmandu, trains local doctors to repair cataracts using the latest microsurgery techniques and organizes mobile medical camps to perform surgeries in remote areas. The progress has been stunning: In 1993, 1,000 people in Nepal had advanced cataract microsurgery; in 2003, almost 118,000 received the treatment. "Working to eliminate needless blindness," says Tabin, "has given a purpose to my medical career."

Timberland encourages its 5,400 employees to get out there and give—on the company's time. Through the Path of Service program, workers spend 40 paid hours a year on volunteer projects—such as Share Our Strength, which fights hunger in the United States.

The Timberland Company
800-258-0855 | www.timberland.com
Timberland encourages its 5,400 employees to get out there and give—on the company's time. Through the Path of Service program, workers spend 40 paid hours a year volunteering with service groups (like Share Our Strength, which fights hunger) in the U.S. and 29 other countries; after three years on the job, they can apply for a "service sabbatical" and spend up to six months working full-time with their favorite nonprofit.

Travelers Philanthropy
202-347-9203 | www.travelersphilanthropy.org
In a meeting of altruistic minds at Stanford University last spring, 80 members of the tourism, academic, and NGO worlds powwowed on the subject of global giving. The gathering jump-started Travelers Philanthropy, a group—led by the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development—that conducts research and compiles case studies to help travelers and tour operators plan successful aid projects worldwide.

Tubbs Snowshoe Company
800-882-2748 | www.tubbssnowshoes.com
Tubbs has a special commitment to women, from designing female-friendly snowshoes to funding breast-cancer research. Last year, the company donated $65,000 to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, a quarter of it coming from sales of Tubbs women's gear. Tubbs also sponsors 3K and 5K Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer snowshoe events in Colorado, Utah, Oregon, and Vermont.

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