Seeing Clearly in the Dubuque Region

This story is part of our Transforming Together series, which highlights 20 key moments in our Foundation’s first 20 years. Read more stories in the series.

Many factors can affect a child’s ability to learn in school. Take vision, for example. Tens of thousands of students in Iowa lack the glasses they need to see the whiteboard, read a book and participate in the classroom.

With this understanding, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque partnered with the nonprofit Vision to Learn to provide free eye exams and glasses to elementary school children in low-income communities in the Dubuque region. Thanks to grants and donations from Klauer Optical Co. and Theisen’s Home-Farm-Auto the brought the initiative to Iowa in 2016 with a pilot program that provided 178 exams and pairs of glasses. Since that initial effort, Vision To Learn has expanded in Iowa with Community Foundation support and has provided 8,000 exams and 7,000 pairs of glasses statewide.

“It’s amazing to see how many kids the clinic has helped so far,” said Nancy Van Milligen, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “Giving kids the tools they need to succeed in the classroom is such a gift and we are thankful to have wonderful community partners supporting this work.”

Vision To Learn provides access to vision care through its mobile clinic that travels to school sites. Students receive a vision exam from an optometrist and, if glasses are prescribed, can choose their frames from a wide selection of colors and sizes. The glasses are delivered to the kids at school two weeks later. All of Vision To Learn’s services, from the exam to the glasses, are provided free of charge.

All of participating schools receive Title I funding, and a high percentage of their students come from low-income families. Due to lack of health insurance, difficulty accessing eye care providers and other obstacles, many of these students who are identified in state-mandated school vision screenings do not receive the follow-up care or glasses they need.

“Nearly 20,000 students in Iowa lack the glasses they need,” says Vision To Learn’s Iowa regional director. “Vision To Learn bridges the gap in access to vision care so that children can be successful in school and in life."