Mobile Clinics will visit six YMCA locations this summer to ensure children have vision care.
Wilmington, Delaware – The YMCA of Delaware is partnering with Vision To Learn, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing children with access to eye care, to offer free vision screenings, eye exams, and prescription eyeglasses to children enrolled at YMCA of Delaware summer camps at six locations this summer. Registration is limited to families enrolled at YMCA of Delaware summer camps.
Through Vision To Learn’s mobile clinic, children who may not otherwise have access to affordable eye care will receive comprehensive services at no cost to their families. Children who require glasses will have them mailed directly to their homes free of charge.
“When a child can’t see clearly, it affects so much more than their vision—it can impact their confidence, learning, and ability to fully participate in school and everyday activities,” said Georganne Buccine, Vice President of Youth Development for the YMCA of Delaware. “This partnership with Vision To Learn helps remove a barrier that many families face and ensures more children have the opportunity to succeed, both in the classroom and throughout their lives.”
Why This Matters
Vision problems are one of the most common and often overlooked barriers to learning. According to Vision To Learn, more than 1 in 4 public school students lack access to the glasses they need to see clearly in the classroom, creating a significant barrier to learning and academic success. According to one study, in low-income communities, 95% of children who need glasses do not have them. Because nearly 80% of learning during a child’s first 12 years is visual, untreated vision issues can negatively impact reading, academic performance, confidence, and overall well-being.
Vision To Learn, a non-profit charity, was founded in 2012 by Austin Beutner and the Beutner Family Foundation. Vision To Learn serves the needs of the hardest-to-reach children; about 90% of kids served by Vision To Learn live in poverty, and about 85% are Black or Latino. Vision To Learn, the largest provider of eye care at schools in the country, has helped provide more than 4 million children with vision screenings and provided more than 800,000 with eye exams, and 670,000 with glasses, in 18 states and the District of Columbia, all at no cost to children or their families. Since launching in Delaware in 2014, the organization has provided more than 25,000 eye exams and 20,000 pairs of glasses to students throughout the state.
“More than 3 million children across the country go to school every day without the glasses they need,” said Vision To Learn Founder Austin Beutner. “When children go to school hungry, we feed them. We make sure they have the books and school supplies they need. Why not glasses? “Every child in every school, everywhere in the country, should have the glasses they need to succeed in school and in life.”
The Vision To Learn mobile clinics will visit the following YMCA of Delaware locations this summer:
- Monday, July 6 – Middletown Family YMCA
- Tuesday, July 14 – Bear-Glasgow Family YMCA
- Wednesday, July 15 – Walnut Street YMCA
- Thursday, July 30 – Dover YMCA Outdoor Center
- Friday, July 31 – Sussex Family YMCA
- Monday, August 17 – Western Family YMCA
The partnership reflects the YMCA of Delaware’s commitment to strengthening communities and ensuring that every child has access to the resources they need to reach their full potential.
About the YMCA of Delaware
The YMCA of Delaware is Delaware’s largest nonprofit organization committed to empowering youth, fostering healthy living, and promoting strong communities. With seven branches statewide, a youth resource center, and an overnight camp and conference center in Worton, Maryland, the Y has developed longstanding relationships and a physical presence in Delaware so it can deliver lasting personal and social change. We are committed to serving everyone – regardless of age, income or background –nurturing the potential of every child and teen, improving Delaware’s health and wellbeing, and creating a healthy, inclusive community where all people reach their full potential. www.ymcade.org.
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