(Press Release)
FISHKILL, NY – OneSight, an independent nonprofit working to improve global access to vision care, launched its vision care clinic in Fishkill, NY to service children attending The Fresh Air summer camps. For the 12th consecutive year, OneSight is teaming up with The Fresh Air Fund’s summer camps in Fishkill to bring free, comprehensive eye exams and eyeglasses to the 3,000 children from low-income New York City communities who attend the summer camp at the Sharpe Reservation.
Since the partnership began, OneSight has impacted 30,000 campers. Clinic presenting sponsor, Luxottica Wholesale, will also provide 150 volunteers over the four-week clinic from offices in Manhattan and Port Washington, NY.
“We know that children living in underserved communities are one of the most susceptible groups to undiagnosed vision problems. Providing eye exams and glasses to a child in need can fundamentally change their future,” says Dawn Yager, vision care clinic manager for OneSight. “We’re proud to once again partner with The Fresh Air Fund who shares our vision of impacting children’s lives so they can reach their full potential.”
Across the U.S., one in four school children have an undiagnosed vision problem significant enough to impact their academic performance and globally, and 1.1 billion people need glasses but lack access to vision care. OneSight’s mission is to combat this crisis by providing immediate and long-term solutions through sustainable and charitable vision clinics both globally and nationally. Luxottica employees and doctors travel the globe to staff and volunteer at OneSight clinics.
“We are incredibly proud to support the OneSight clinic in Fishkill this year,” says Fabrizio Uguzzoni, president of Luxottica Wholesale North America. “As a founding sponsor of OneSight, these clinics have become a core part of who we are at Luxottica – we are more focused than ever on raising awareness around the vision crisis and helping to provide access where it’s needed most. This particular clinic will give more than one hundred of our New York employees an opportunity to have an impact close to home. It’s a very meaningful moment for the company.”
From July 2 through Aug. 13, OneSight’s vision care clinic will visit all encampments at the Sharpe Reservation in Fishkill. EyeLeen, the mobile vision care unit sponsored by LensCrafters, is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to provide a full diagnostic eye exam and staffed by volunteer optometrists to provide quality care on-site.
“We are grateful for OneSight’s generosity and support for so many years,” says Fatima Shama, executive director, The Fresh Air Fund. “The Fresh Air Fund’s partnership with OneSight is a vital one in providing our campers with free eye exams and glasses that improve their ability to experience their summer with us, but as well when they return to their communities and schools during the year. Thousands of our campers have benefited from this extraordinary program, and we look forward to many more great summers together.”
The Fresh Air Fund offers free summer camping programs to children from low-income New York City neighborhoods at the Sharpe Reservation in Fishkill, NY. Every summer, 3,000 New York City children explore outdoor adventures and benefit from educational experiences on close to 2,000 acres of wilderness. Fresh Air Fund runs five camps throughout the summer for a variety of age groups from ages 8 to 15.
In addition to presenting sponsor support from Luxottica Wholesale North America, the four weeks of vision care clinics in Fishkill are also made possible with volunteer and funding support from Aetna Foundation, Combined Insurance and Coburn Technologies.