[two-thirds-first]Pittsburgh is known as the City of Champions, and Vision To Learn’s Pittsburgh program has had several. People like Bruce Gebhardt, partners like the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and school districts across Western Pennsylvania have teamed up with Vision To Learn to make sure every student in Pittsburgh who is in need of glasses will receive them.
Miracle was a first-grader when we met him. He and his family immigrated to the U.S. as refugees; and Miracle, with the big smile and charisma to spare, quickly became a staff favorite. When we visited his school last fall, he had a lot of trouble focusing his eyes. The Vision To Learn staff gave him an eye exam. Miracle was diagnosed with some issues that corrective lenses would help–and others that needed additional medical care that was provided by our partners at UPMC Children’s Hospital the very next day.
A champion is someone who strives to better the community by uplifting others and encouraging counterparts to do the same. Our Pittsburgh champions have certainly done so with Miracle, and have continued to do so as we celebrate the end of the second year of service there. To date we have examined nearly 3,500 students in Pittsburgh, and prescribed approximately 3,000 pairs of glasses. It’s a story like Miracle’s that remind us that the impact of community partnerships is part of the city of Pittsburgh’s identity.
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Newsletter, Fall 2019