VSP Vision announced a $1 million investment to expand access to vision care and literacy resources for children and families across the United States. The funding will support national and local nonprofit organizations and a series of VSP Eyes of Hope events providing no-cost eye exams and prescription glasses to students at more than 25 schools nationwide.
“We believe that sight has the power to unlock human potential in all aspects of life, and that’s especially true for literacy and the success children can achieve in the classroom by seeing clearly,” said VSP Vision President and CEO Michael Guyette.
According to the company, the initiative is designed to advance literacy programming while addressing untreated vision issues that can affect students’ ability to read and participate fully in school. In addition to nonprofit grants, VSP Eyes of Hope plans to deliver approximately $900,000 in no-cost eye care and eyewear in partnership with participating organizations. Among the grant recipients is Start Lighthouse, a New York-based nonprofit that converts underused spaces in Title I schools into staffed reading centers offering daily literacy programming. The funding will support the opening of a fourth Literacy Hub in the Bronx and bolster programming at 3 existing locations, serving more than 2,600 students.
The Oakland Literacy Coalition will also receive funding to expand literacy support for students and families within the Oakland Unified School District. The investment will extend the Books Kids Want to Read program to all 15 district middle school libraries and increase the coalition’s Reading Everywhere Action Grants, which support literacy programming in community-based settings. Additional organizations receiving funding include the Kendra Scott Foundation, Reading Is Fundamental, Bess the Book Bus, and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, which will use its grant to sponsor a Scholastic Book Fair at a local school.
Founded as the charitable arm of VSP Vision, VSP Eyes of Hope provides access to vision care through initiatives such as mobile clinics, disaster relief, and eyewear donations. The program reports that it has delivered no-cost eye exams and prescription glasses to more than 4.3 million people to date. OM