Damian Carroll

Thank you, Damian Carroll, for being my guest on The Born To Talk Radio Show Podcast. Damian is the National Director of Vision To Learn.  Since 2015, Damian has helped the organization expand from its home in Los Angeles to help kids in over 750 communities in 13 states and the District of Columbia.

Vision To Learn’s mission is to help students across the United States who lack the glasses they need to see clearly at school.  Sadly, millions of school-age children in America lack the glasses they need to succeed in school and in life.

How Vision To Learn Works.

Vision To Learn partners with school districts through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines the responsibilities of Vision To Learn and the district. Vision To Learn’s program model makes it easy for students to access eye care, and easy for schools to bring Vision To Learn to campus.

Typical district responsibilities include coordinating consent forms for exams and escorting kids from the classroom to the mobile clinic. To start with, the program begins with vision screenings for all students, utilizing medically appropriate tools.

Did you know?

To begin with, about 1 in 4 children naturally need glasses.  Unfortunately, in low-income communities, most children who need glasses don’t have them. The lack of access to vision care for children is most acute in Black and Latino communities.  80% of children’s learning occurs visually. Research shows children who need glasses do much better in school when they have them. Enter, Vision To Learn!

Where They Work.

Vision To Learn started with a single van in Los Angeles in 2012 and now operates in more than 325 cities from Honolulu to Baltimore. They are the largest school-based program of its kind in the nation.    When you click on this link, you will see exactly where they are located to learn more.  

CT – Statewide

DE – Statewide

GA – Atlanta Metro

HI – Statewide

IA – Des Moines, Dubuque, Waterloo, and surrounding counties

MD – Baltimore and Frederick County

MI – Detroit, Flint, Lansing, Grand Rapids

NC – Charlotte

NJ – Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Trenton

OH – Southeastern Appalachian Ohio and Youngstown

PA – Statewide

SC – Charleston

Washington DC – District-wide

Damian’s Takeaways.

Providing glasses to students who need them at school is one of the most effective ways to help students improve academically. Unfortunately, over two million students who need glasses across the country are still going without them. Vision To Learn’s model addresses this problem, and the organization’s work and advocacy are leading policymakers and education experts to engage with this issue. Parents should seek an eye exam for their child annually, starting at 6 months old.

In Closing.

Are you asking yourself, how can I help?  Reach out to Vision To Learn to see what would be involved in bringing this outstanding nonprofit to your community.

The results:  Smiling Children With a Vision To Learn!

Thank you, Damian, for all you are doing to help children across our country!

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