Iowa | Vision To Learn

In January 2016, Vision To Learn launched its first pilot project to provide free eye exams and glasses to children in Iowa, in the City of Dubuque and Jackson County. Through a partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, the launch was celebrated at Fulton Elementary School. Vision To Learn was connected with Dubuque through the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, a collaboration of foundations, nonprofits, states, and communities focused on the number one predictor of school success: third grade reading. This project was supported with a generous grant from Theisen’s Home Farm Auto.

Nearly 180 students attending Andrew Community School District, Dubuque Community School District and Maquoketa Community School District received a free eye exam during this early pilot, and 90 students received free glasses.

Following this success, Vision To Learn expanded to serve 41 schools in seven counties throughout Eastern Iowa during the 2016-2017 school year, including Allamakee, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson and Jones Counties. A new partnership by Vision To Learn with the United Way of Central Iowa and Prevent Blindness Iowa resulted in an additional pilot project during the Spring of 2017, resulting in eye exams for 214 students and 170 students’ being provided with free glasses—all within five elementary schools in the Des Moines Public School District.

Vision To Learn has continued to grow throughout the State of Iowa with additional launch sites in Fort Dodge, Waterloo, West Des Moines, West Liberty and across numerous out-of-school program sites during the summer months. To date, Vision To Learn Iowa has helped nearly 3,500 Iowa children.

An estimated 20,000 students in Iowa need glasses.

Supporters Include:

Allamakee Community Foundation
Black Hawk County Gaming Association
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation
Cedar Valley Medical Specialists
Cedar Valley Readers
Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Community Foundation of Jackson County
Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine
Delta Dental Iowa Foundation
Dubuque Racing Association
Jackson County Community Foundation
Jones County Community Foundation
Steve and Elaine Kahler
Klauer Optical Co.
McElroy Trust
Mid-Iowa Health Foundation
Midwest One Bank
Operation Threshold
Prevent Blindness Iowa
Rathmann Challenge
SuccessLink
Trey Sucher Law
Theisen’s Home Farm Auto
United Way of Central Iowa
Unity Point Health – Waterloo
Wolfe Foundation

Contact

Vision To Learn, Iowa
Corrine Kroger, Regional Director
+1 (563) 213-8698 for general inquiries
+1 (563) 284-2393 for lost/broken glasses and warranty information
Questions or concerns: iowa@visiontolearn.org

Vision To Learn kicked off in Iowa by giving glasses to children at Fulton Elementary in Dubuque, January 2016. Present for the occasion were Dubuque Mayor Roy D. Buol; Jim Theisen, President of Theisen’s Home Farm Auto; and Nancy Van Milligen, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, among others.

Smiling faces all around as Vision To Learn provides glasses to kids at Lovejoy Elementary in Des Moines, May 2017.

Waterloo Community School District, Spring 2017. Vision To Learn comes together with its valued local partners to celebrate a successful pilot at Irving Elementary in Waterloo: Waterloo Community School District, Operation Threshold, Cedar Valley Readers, Unity Point Health - Waterloo, Cedar Valley Medical Specialists, Prevent Blindness Iowa, and Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. — Waterloo Community School District, Spring 2017. Vision To Learn comes together with its valued local partners to celebrate a successful pilot at Irving Elementary in Waterloo: Waterloo Community School District, Operation Threshold, Cedar Valley Readers, Unity Point Health – Waterloo, Cedar Valley Medical Specialists, Prevent Blindness Iowa, McElroy Trust, Blackhawk Gaming Commission, and Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa.