Vision To Learn brings glasses to more than 250 area students

Thanks to Vision To Learn - Iowa, more than 250 students in Jackson County received glasses during the 2022-23 school year at no cost to schools or families. Vision To Learn is a national nonprofit supported locally by the Community Foundation of Jackson County and its family of funds, Delta Dental of Iowa and Theisen’s Home*Farm*Auto. 

Providing a child with glasses is life-changing. Without glasses, students with vision challenges can struggle in the classroom. Yet many families face barriers to vision care, such as affordability or transportation to a provider. That’s where Vision To Learn comes in. A mobile clinic visits schools across Iowa providing eye exams and glasses to students at no cost. Vision To Learn research shows that once students receive glasses, they become more confident, participate more in the classroom, and improve in their schoolwork.

Over the six years Vision To Learn has been providing services in Jackson County, 3,800 children have received a vision screening, 730 have received eye exams and more than 530 have received glasses.

During the 2022-23 school year, the mobile clinic visited students in the Andrew, Easton Valley and Maquoketa Community School Districts. Over 1,300 students received vision screenings. Vision To Learn clinicians provided seye exams to 269 children who needed them. They also prescribed glasses, and students chose from a wide selection of frames offered by Vision To Learn. Some students even received two pairs — one for school and another for home.

When students forget their glasses at home, they visit the school nurse, who safely stores each student’s backup glasses. This saves a call to parents, preventing them from having to leave work and deliver the glasses from home to the classroom. 

Vision To Learn is one of the many ways the Community Foundation supports youth. Other initiatives include Every Child Reads, which builds on the efforts of Vision To Learn by supporting academic success and child well-being. The Foundation also awards annual grants to schools and youth programs. 

“Our board understands that investing in Jackson County youth is key to a strong future for our communities,” says Lori Loch, Community Foundation executive director. “Jackson County youth also have support from the Kahler family, who have launched two funds with the Foundation to help bring this program to local children.” 

“We are grateful for the Foundation’s continued partnership and stewardship of this impactful program,” says Corrine Kroger, Iowa Regional Director/National Operations Director of Vision To Learn.

To support Vision To Learn or other youth-focused initiatives, contact Loch at lori@dbqfoundation.org or 563.588.2700.