ZEISS Gives Back to Community Through School Project

The project took place in San Diego.

(Press Release) SAN DIEGO, CA — On July 22, employees from Carl Zeiss Vision Inc., a manufacturer of precision eyeglass lenses and diagnostic solutions, came together to give back to the local community at the Perkins K-8 School in San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood. ZEISS has a 170-year history of innovation in all things precision optics and a corporate culture that embraces social responsibility and community involvement.

ZEISS is owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation, which supports education, research and scientific projects as well as social responsibility.

According to Jens Boy, president of Carl Zeiss Vision, North America, “People nowadays don’t just care about what organizations do. They are increasingly interested in why businesses do things and their purpose or mission. At ZEISS, we are driven by a passion for optics and by a charter that — for over 125 years—has guided us to turn profits into a force for change, be it in science, education or community support.”

The recent involvement with Perkins is just one example of the many ways the ZEISS organization gives back.

“This is who we are and why we are different,” Boy said. “As a successful global company in a highly competitive market, we have to focus on profits and the bottom line. However, we challenge ourselves to find a balance between profit and philanthropy, between earning and giving back. How can we stay humble and keep our hearts open along our path to success? One of my goals as a ZEISS leader is making this a priority.”

Last summer, ZEISS volunteered at the Braille Institute’s annual summer festival. This year, the company turned its attention on Perkins K-8. Located in a historically low income area of San Diego, Perkins takes pride in educating a diverse group of students to be the leaders of tomorrow.

Unfortunately, budget cuts continue to plague this school and create suboptimal conditions for these already underserved children and the wonderful faculty and staff who work with them.

The ZEISS team spent the Saturday painting walls and a mural, lining the asphalt play area (there are no grass fields available), organizing classrooms, unpacking ZEISS-donated sports equipment, and making a lasting change in this important local institution and community.

“I truly hope this is the first step in what will become a lasting partnership,” said Boy. “From the moment the ZEISS team set foot on Perkins’ grounds they could feel the passion beaming from its extremely engaging and committed principal, Mr. Fernando Hernandez.”

After only a moment of speaking with Fernandez, it becomes obvious that his motivation and positive energy fuel the school’s teachers and staff to strive to create the leaders of tomorrow out of students who may not have the same advantages as others; in fact, as many as 30 percent of the students are classified as homeless and most received some sort of subsidized nutrition. Yet, at Perkins, every child is seen as an equal, worthy of receiving the best education possible, and deservedly so.

Founded in 1846, ZEISS North American headquarters are located in the Poway area of San Diego, with global headquarters in Oberkocken, Germany.

ZEISS President Jens Boy (in goal), and the ZEISS team celebrate a hard and rewarding day of work at Perkins K-8 in Barrio Logan.