[two-thirds-first]Since 2016, Vision To Learn has worked with Project Vision Hawai’i and other dedicated community partners to make our vision program a statewide initiative. Historically, the island of Moloka`i has experienced a lack of affordable and accessible healthcare despite its close proximity to the island of Maui. The island is home to fewer than 8,000 people, of whom almost 1,100 are students—and all five of the island’s schools report a population of 100% free and reduced lunch recipients. One of the central challenges to Moloka`i students accessing vision care is that there are no eye doctors on the island. Once a month, an optometrist flies in from Maui to perform exams. Many families, however, do not have the resources to pay for the glasses, and making an appointment would require parents to miss work.
This year, Lieutenant Governor Josh Green and Kenton Eldridge, together with the guidance and advocacy of Kamehameha schools, encouraged Vision To Learn to help kids on Moloka`i. In partnership with Project Vision Hawai`i, the entire school population had their vision screened; and 175 students of the 1,110 screened were referred for eye exams. In the last weeks of November, Vision To Learn provided each of these students with eye exams. The support from the Moloka`i community has been a powerful inspiration for our staff and for our partners.
On December 11th, all 175 students who need glasses will receive them. Many of these students have spent the majority of their school careers struggling to see the board, or read words on a page. Some students had glasses when they were younger but have not had their prescription updated or frames refitted for over four years. Private donations as well as support from the Harold K. L. Castle Foundation, the Atherton Family Foundation, and First Hawaiian Bank have made the Moloka`i project possible. If nothing else, the Moloka`i project shows that when community champions come together, positive change can happen quickly.
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