As of December 2022, Sight & Sketches has served over 53,000 individuals! 

Introduction

Sight & Sketches began in 2016 as a grassroots medical and humanitarian relief effort from Southern California.

Sight & Sketches came to be when sisters Yamam and Yara Almouradi decided to use their professions to create an on-going humanitarian project.  Dr. Yamam Almouradi, O.D., is an Optometrist practicing in Southern California. Yara Almouradi, M.F.A., is a local artist and College Instructor.  Both have worked for various nonprofits in the past and joined their experiences and respective fields to create Sight (Optometric services) & Sketches (Fine Art services).

Sight & Sketches is a fiscally sponsored project of One OC and operates as a nonprofit.

Mission

Sight & Sketches is a Southern California grassroots medical and humanitarian relief effort.  The medical portion of the project, Sight, provides no-cost vision screenings, exams, and prescription glasses to refugees and underserved communities both domestically and abroad.  The humanitarian portion, Sketches, unifies our communities by engaging in various forms of art and cultural projects, which are essential elements of mental health and healing.

Project Description: Sight

Preventative medicine is often overlooked and not utilized to its capacity in underserved and forced migrant populations.  It is, however, a vital entity for building a strong and healthy community. Sight is a simple solution to bridge this gap by providing vision screenings and exams, preventative medical screenings for various types of ocular diseases and cancers, and prescription glasses and sunglasses, to this vulnerable target population.  Additionally, sustainability efforts are necessary for maintaining the continuity of care. As such, hands-on public informational workshops are necessary to increase awareness regarding ocular health and preventative medicine, highlight the importance of vision exams, and provide the tools for early detection of vision issues.

Project Description: Sketches

Art is a universal language that transcends barriers; this is especially relevant when reaching out to underserved populations.  Sketches aims to unify communities by coordinating a cultural exchange in order to facilitate a dialogue using various creative avenues ranging from fine art workshops to galleries to technology-based projects.  By involving our target population in these activities, we establish an environment where creativity is the catalyst for community involvement, mental health and healing. The arts have been proven to be self-directed therapeutic processes that increase self esteem, provide opportunities for overcoming mental challenges, and promote a sense of individual stability.  Utilizing art as a mental health tool is essential to the well-being of society as a whole, and especially needed in our target population. Mental health through the arts increases sensory integration, the ability to focus, along with emotional, cognitive, relational & motor skills, relaxation, and socialization. Through these efforts, our communities are strengthened and the gap is bridged.

Equity Statement

Sight and Sketches understands that underserved communities, especially minorities and people of color, face greater challenges in accessing care and cultural opportunities.  We are committed to aiding these groups by providing an inclusive environment for cultural events, outreach programs & educational workshops, in partnership with local communities, to better serve this demographic.  Sight and Sketches is constantly striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of these underserved communities.  We recognize that individuals affiliate with multiple identities and we do our best to ensure that everyone feels welcome, safe, supported, and valued to fully participate in all our events.  

Help Us Serve the Community

Over the past seven years, we were able to provide free vision exams and glasses, as well as mental healing through the arts, to more than 53,000 individuals!  We were also able to educate over 32,300 individuals on the importance of preventative yearly eye exams and the importance of art to mental health and healing.  

We can only continue helping underserved communities through the generous donations of individuals, organizations, and corporations like you! Every dollar counts and is tax deductible! Click here to donate through PayPal today!