BELLFLOWER – One hundred three students from Bellflower Unified’s Washington Elementary School will receive free eyeglasses after a visit from a mobile unit operated by nonprofit Vision to Learn, which provides vision services to children in low-income communities.

Vision to Learn optometrists provided eye exams to 146 students during the March 30-April 1 event, which was sponsored by the Bellflower Rotary Club and coordinated by Caring Connections, a nonprofit dedicated to helping meet the needs of children and families in the Bellflower Unified School District.

This is the first visit to a Bellflower Unified school by Vision to Learn. The Bellflower Rotary Club donated $7,500 to bring the mobile unit to Washington.

“I want to thank our community partners, and especially the members of the Bellflower Rotary Club, for helping to make this possible,” Bellflower Unified Superintendent Dr. Brian Jacobs said. “Partnerships like this one are a critical factor in ensuring our students have every opportunity to succeed.”

One in four adolescents in the U.S. suffers from common vision ailments that can be corrected with glasses. Studies show students who are provided with proper eyeglasses participate more in class, demonstrate better behavior and dramatically improve their self-confidence.

In Bellflower, students were selected for exams after a screening showed possible impairment or screeners determined students had a history of vision problems. After exams, the 102 who needed glasses were able to choose from among 25 options. Glasses will arrive at the school in two to three weeks.

Rotary Club members hope to secure the vision program for future visits to other low-income schools in the District.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

VISIONTOLEARN1: Optometrists from Vision to Learn gave eye exams to 146 students from Bellflower Unified’s Washington Elementary in a program sponsored by the Bellflower Rotary Club and coordinated by Caring Connections. The exams were conducted March 30-April 1.

VISIONTOLEARN2: One hundred three students at Bellflower Unified’s Washington Elementary were allowed to choose from 25 different frames after optometrists from nonprofit Vision to Learn determined they needed new glasses during exams conducted March 30-April 1.