(PRESS RELEASE) SALT LAKE CITY — EyeCare4Kids, a global 501(c)(3) nonprofit, headquartered in Salt Lake City, is having a growing impact helping children with vision deficiencies and the word is getting out.
Featured in the June issue of Costco Connection, the monthly magazine from Costco Wholesale Corporation, the EyeCare4Kids history and new service goals are highlighted. Costco Connection, with circulation and readership in the tens of millions, is helping Costco members discover one of the most impactful charities in the world.
The article, Vision for Vision, found on page 103, introduces the new five-year EyeCare4Kids campaign Sight The World. This initiative will dramatically expand its reach from serving children throughout the United States to “helping any child, anywhere in the world receive quality vision services and glasses.” Our goal is 1 Million kids by 2025.
In April, the organization opened its first clinic in Arizona in collaboration with the Alhambra Elementary School District in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix. Alice Cooper headlined the ribbon-cutting grand opening to support the organization having a permanent presence in the region.
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Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021, EyeCare4Kids has provided nearly 400,000 visually impaired children from low-income and underserved families with vision screenings, professional eye exams, and new prescription eyeglasses at minimal or no cost. The need is staggering:
- 1 in 4 youth in the U.S. have vision deficiencies; that number increases to 40% for individuals in poverty.
- 80% of learning during a child’s first 12 years occurs through the eyes.
- Uninsured children are three times more likely to go without eyeglasses in favor of other necessities.
EyeCare4Kids now has clinics in four states: Utah, New Jersey, Arizona, and Nevada. For many years, it has also operated mobile vision clinics in Utah, Arizona and Nevada to reach more children in remote areas.