The Eye Group rewards its heroes
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The Eye Group’s interns, from left, Tyson Jackson, Lily Ledgerwood and Connor Quinlan, all Farragut High School students, check in patient Debbie Moye before her appointment. - Tammy Cheek
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- Tammy Cheek
Three Farragut High School students and a Powell High School student recently were chosen as “heroes” while serving as interns at The Eye Group, 11124 Kingston Pike Suite 127 in Farragut’s Aspen Square.
Lily Ledgerwood, Connor Quinlan, Tyson Jackson and Lexee Collins, were chosen as heroes as part of a promotion by Maui Jim, which makes and distributes sunglasses to The Eye Group.
“They have the best attitude and they’re so happy,” The Eye Group administrator Debbie Todd said. “It’s so refreshing in our society.
“I can’t say enough good about them,” she added. “They’re precious. We can’t imagine life without these kids.”
“They kids have been great, always willing to help,” said Dr. Joe Manning, optometrist and one of two owners of The Eye Group. “They’re a real plus, and they keep us on our toes. If anything needs to be done, they’re on top of it.”
Todd explained the company started a program to reward a hero in the community, and the person or persons chosen would receive a pair of sunglasses.
“We were trying to decide how to promote it,” Todd said. “When we looked at those kids, we said, ‘We have heroes right here,’ and we decided to honor them.”
“It’s amazing,” said Quinlan, 17, a FHS rising senior and son of Janice and Mike Quinlan. “I never would have expected to have been labeled a hero. I was just doing my part.
“At the same time, I’m grateful,” he added. “I love the fact that people saw me that way.
“It gives me more and more drive to continue doing what I do to the best of my ability.”
For Ledgerwood, 17, a rising FHS senior and daughter of Scott and Rhonda Ledgerwood, it’s all in a day’s work.
“I come in, I help out. I’m glad to help,” she said. “I’m glad to be here, and hey, I get paid, so that’s a plus.”
“Pretty cool,” remarked Jackson, 14, a rising FHS sophomore and son of Vaughn and Nicole Jackson of Farragut.
In addition to each intern receiving a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses, a photo of Quinlan will be featured on the company’s website.
After being told of the selection, Todd recalled, “You would have thought we gave them gold. They were just beside themselves.
“They thanked us for letting them work here,” she added.
When school starts back up, she exclaimed, “I don’t know what we’re going to do without them.”
Todd said the interns started when The Eye Group re-opened April 30.
“When we re-opened, we knew we would just have to have more constant cleaning, disinfecting and everything,” she said. “We decided we needed people specifically dedicated to the constant cleaning, the COVID questionnaires, the temp checks.”
Todd indicated the interns made themselves indispensable in those tasks.
“They’re happy, they’re motivated, they get close to our patients,” she said.
“Everyone here is a family and have treated me like an adult employee while also taking care of me like one of their kids,” said Collins, a rising Powell High School junior and daughter of Michael and Tiffany Collins.
“I love this job, everything about it,” Quinlan said. “I love the people, the relationship I develop with patients, too.
“This job has given me a purpose in life,” she added. “Something big I learned is no matter what you do, whether it’s cleaning rooms or running a big, multi-million-dollar company, do it with good intentions in your heart and do it to the best of your ability, no matter what, because it makes a difference.”
