As long as he is healthy, Dr. Jerry Kirby, a Mount Auburn ophthalmologist, said he will be traveling through villages and shanties in Jamaica, testing eyes, giving out eyeglasses, gifts and books for children.
"This is something I really like, and I plan to continue it as long as I can," Kirby said.
He spent a week in Montego Bay and surrounding villages last month volunteering with a group of doctors from New York for the Organization for International Development.
"They were mostly dentists. There was also an internist and a pediatrician," Kirby said. "We traveled to different sites and saw close to 400 people. I was able to give away about 600 pairs of glasses."
Kirby said he plans to return to Jamaica in October, volunteering along with another group of doctors.
"I started this about three years ago when I was asked by Dr. Camille Graham, a pediatrician," Kirby said. "I have never asked for donations from anyone, but when my patients learned about it, a lot of them began donating glasses, toys and books."
Kirby, 55, grew up in the West End, attending Bloom, Taft and Antioch College in Yellow Springs. He returned to the University of Cincinnati for his medical degree.
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Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Alton Frailey will discuss his job and other issues at 6:30 p.m. today at a meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, Cincinnati chapter.
The meeting will be at 3458 Reading Road., Avondale, the office of the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati.
Regina Carswell, president of the local chapter, said the mission of NABJ Cincinnati is to strengthen ties among African-American media workers, promote diversity in newsrooms and other media organizations, honor excellence and outstanding achievement in the media industry, expand job opportunities and recruiting activities for established African-American journalists, mentor students interested in the journalism/communication fields, and expand and balance the media's coverage of the African-American community. Carswell is a news anchor for Fox 19.
Allen Howard's "Some Good News'' column runs Sunday-Friday. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at 768-8362, at ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.
