Hawaiʻi

An estimated 15,000 students in Hawaiʻi need glasses, and as part of a statewide expansion which occurred in 2019, Vision To Learn has expanded its services to include on a regular basis the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, Kauai, Maui, and Molokaʻi, in addition to Oahu.

Oahu

Vision To Learn launched in the Aloha State in August 2015, with an event at Kalihi Waena Elementary School in Honolulu. Governor David Ige and Mayor Kirk Caldwell spoke at the event, which was emcee’d by former Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association President Wil Okabe. Vision To Learn collaborates throughout the state with Project Vision Hawaiʻi, a nonprofit which provides vision screenings at schools.

Vision To Learn’s work in Oahu is supported by First Hawaiʻian Bank Foundation, Hawaiʻi Pizza Hut Literacy Fund, and the Pion Family, among other charitable foundations, elected leaders, and educational and vision advocates. In Fall 2017, Vision To Learn began serving schools throughout the Windward Coast with a generous grant from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.

In February 2019, Vision To Learn celebrated a major expansion that will bring access to basic vision care to thousands more students annually. Through the addition of a new full-time mobile clinic and an expanded collaboration with the Hawai’i Department of Education and a coalition of funders, the program plans to provide vision screenings to 20,000 students in the coming year, and to provide 3,000 eye exams and 2,400 pairs of glasses.

“Vision is where success in life starts,” said Terrence R. George, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation President and CEO. “When you can see what your teacher and classmates are communicating, you are able to take the next step in school and in society.”

Big Island

Vision To Learn’s first visits on the Big Island happened in April 2017, supported by grants from Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association and Hawaiʻi Lions Foundation. In collaboration with Project Vision Hawaiʻi, Vision To Learn serves schools in low income areas of the island. This project demonstrates the ability of Vision To Learn to serve students throughout the State of Hawaiʻi, and sets the stage for a larger expansion of services.

Kauai

In September 2016, Vision To Learn worked with Project Vision Hawaiʻi on a project serving students in Kauai. After initial screenings, Vision To Learn examined 99 children and provided 56 pairs of glasses. Kauai County Mayor Bernard Carvalho assisted with distribution of glasses at Kekaha Elementary School.

The project was made possible in part by funding from Kaiser Permanente Hawaii and Saltchuk Hawaii.