Vision To Learn and the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated an important milestone – over 22,000 children have been helped by Vision To Learn’s mobile eye clinic in the two short years the program has been operating in Los Angeles. Wearing Dodger Blue logo glasses and standing at centerfield during pre-game festivities at Dodger Stadium today, Vision To Learn Founder Austin Beutner was joined by Nichol Whiteman, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, to celebrate this important occasion.
Vision To Learn solves a problem affecting as many as 250,000 children in California who lack the glasses they need to see the board, read a book, study math or participate in class, and kids in low-income communities and minorities are disproportionately affected. There are an estimated 100,000 kids in Los Angeles alone who need glasses.
“Our partnership with the LA Dodgers has made Vision To Learn’s efforts in Los Angeles more effective,” said Beutner. “Research shows that our partnerships with sports teams, like the Dodgers, make it cool for the kids to wear their glasses. Today, we celebrate an important milestone in ensuring kids have the tools they need to succeed in school and life.”
“Vision To Learn solves one of the most simple problems to ensuring educational achievement and we are proud to support their efforts in our local community,” commented Nichol Whiteman, Executive Director for the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.
UCLA research shows that Vision To Learn has a direct impact on education outcomes for children supported by the program and improves the learning environment for the entire classroom and school, ultimately making teachers and students more effective. Since it started just two short years ago, Vision To Learn has helped screen over 125,000 kids in Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento, provided over 21,000 with eye exams and more than 16,000 with free glasses. Vision To Learn serves the needs of the hardest-to-reach kids in low-income, urban communities.
To date, Vision To Learn has visited more than 260 schools and 40 community organizations, facilitated vision screenings for over 125,000 children, examined over 21,000 students, and provided over 17,000 children with free glasses.
