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PROGRAMS
Every year 5,000 low-income 1st grade students enter the Denver Public School System without ever seeing an eye doctor. More than 1,900 of them need glasses. The Denver Public School System currently has more than 27,000 low-income students who need some level of vision correction. Von's Vision was formed around this need.
2025 Registration for Von's Locker Days throughout Colorado will open in late March/early April.
Von's Vision Center
Von’s Vision Centers are mobile optometry kiosks that allow in-need students to receive vision care on an ongoing basis without the burden of transportation. These customized centers hold fashionable eyewear and accessories, creating a unique and exciting optical center on wheels. Volunteer medical providers conduct on-site eye screenings and exams at each Von’s Vision Center location. Children in need will “shop” for fashionable eyewear from the Von’s Vision Center and their fulfilled glasses will be delivered back to the participating Von’s Vision Center location. The Vision Center also holds Von’s Vision swag for the students to access, such as branded lens cleaning clothes, lens cleaning wipes, wrist bands, glasses cases, and more.
So far, Von’s Vision has launched Vision Centers at the Broncos Boys & Girls Club in Denver, the Cope Boys & Girls Club in Denver, the Denver Boys & Girls Club, and at Texas A&M University’s Student Health Services.
Von’s Lockers are the newest community outreach program of
Von’s Vision and, like the Vision Centers, offer a permanent fixture that gets
students brand-new prescription glasses without the burden of transportation. Von’s
Lockers allow students who already have accurate prescriptions to easily select
a new pair of glasses (and a spare pair), bypassing the screenings and exams. Conducted in partnership
with Hero Practice Services, Von’s Locker allows clinical volunteers to provide
a continuum of care to the students who are served through Von’s Vision. This
means that issues like broken glasses and changing prescriptions can be
resolved in a timely manner. Regular ‘Von’s Locker Days’ allow children in
the community to come in for
a new pair of glasses, completely free of charge.
In 2020, Von’s Vision opened its first Von’s Locker
within Texas A&M University’s Student Health Services. An additional
thirteen Von’s Lockers are now situated at Adventure Vision and Academy Kids
locations along Colorado’s front range.
In August 2023, Von's Vision opened its first Von's Locker in New York at the Atwal Eye Care in Orchard Park, NY.
Von's Vision Days
The flagship outreach program of the foundation is Von’s
Vision Day. Von’s Vision Day provides children from across our target markets –
identified and invited through our relationships with schools, after-school
programs, and community organizations – with access to free eye-screening and,
if needed, a free eye exam conducted by volunteer optometrists and
ophthalmologists. Exclusive frames provider, Etnia Barcelona, offers a large
selection of high-end, fashion-forward frames for program participants to choose
from. Through our industry partnerships, Von’s Vision fulfills the prescription
lenses and delivers a final pair of prescription glasses to the program
recipient.
Von’s Vision has held annual Vision Day programs
in Denver every year since 2014, providing over $5 million in no-cost eyecare
and corrective eyewear to over 9,000 students in-need. Through partnership with Etnia Barcelona, Von’s Vision has
also held “roadshow” Vision Day programs in Miami, Las Vegas and Kansas City.
Von's Vision Exam Day at Texas A&M University
As an extension of the Von's Vision Center and Von’s Locker programs, Von's Vision hosts 'Exam Days' on the campus of Texas A&M University for undergraduate students attending Von's alma mater on financial aid. Hosted at the Von's Vision Center in the University Student Health Services building, students are able to register for these Exam Days, where they receive no-cost vision screenings, eye examinations and a new pair of prescription glasses. The program aims to ensure that subpar vision is not a barrier to students exceeding in the classroom and achieving a college degree. Texas A&M students interested in participating in this program can learn more by clicking here.
Von's Vision Day Celebration
Each year, all children and young adults who
participated in a Von’s Vision Day program are invited to a
special Von’s Vision Glasses Reveal Day Celebration. This program
celebrates those impacted by the foundation and gives Von himself an
opportunity to interact with these individuals, and in some cases putting their
glasses on them for the first time.
Von’s Vision Glasses Reveal Day Celebration has been held every
year in since 2014 in conjunction with the flagship Von’s Vision Day program.
Children receive an opportunity to meet one of their idols, get an autograph,
and receive a picture with Von. Food, drinks and
games are also included in this fun annual celebration.
Since our inception in 2012, Von's Vision has provided more than $5 million in eyecare and corrective eyewear to over 9,500 in-need students across 19 different cities in the United States.
The foundation currently serves in
four chapter markets: Denver, CO (since 2012), College Station, TX (since
2018), Dallas, TX (since 2018), and Buffalo, NY (since 2022).
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