Journal Entry XIV

Journal Entry 14: Rainbow Optics interviews

The interviews for the Project Homeless Connect story were relatively successful. They really came in two parts, and it was fortunate that I went back the second time because I got a much better picture of the overall story after I went back. The first interviews were prior to the event happening, while the interviews afterward were technically after the event (I’ll explain that in a moment).

Those first interviews got me a basic idea of what was going on. I had managed to luck out and find the actual service providers on my first try, but all the doctors were busy and I had to settle with talking with the secretaries and a distracted off-duty optometrist, and then leave my number. They never called me back, leaving me to scramble for the information I had hoped to get from them.

The second interviews happened after the Thursday PHC event, but I soon learned that really the event was still going on. Due to the numbers of people who needed eye care, Rainbow Optics had held an examination and glasses fitting day on the weekend, and there were still a few holdouts who were finishing up the eye wear fitting after that. This meant I had the opportunity to speak with one of the homeless patients who was getting his new glasses, though I had difficulty actually interjecting the interview into the PHC article (since it was supposed to be an advancer).

I also had a chance to speak with the owner of Rainbow Optics, Sheila Abbott, who seemed an enthusiastic supporter of the PHC event and was glad to speak with me about her involvement with the project. All told, it was a successful round of interviews, particularly for a story that was meant to be something of a puff piece.