If deeply rooted poverty and an underperforming public education system strike you as intractable problems, think again. Vision To Learn, a non-profit, provides a concrete solution, real hope – and a simple, yet powerful tool to kids in need. The tool? A pair of eyeglasses.

Consider this: About one in five kids will naturally need glasses to see the board, read a book, or participate in class. Unfortunately, in low-income communities across the country, 95% of kids who need glasses, about 2,000,000 in total, do not have them. What chance does each of these children have to succeed in school, let alone break free from poverty?

Vision To Learn was founded to make sure every child has the glasses he or she needs to succeed in school and in life. Its mobile clinics solve the problem by bringing eye exams and glasses, free of charge, to children at schools in low-income communities.

Vision To Learn now serves children in low-income communities in more than 400 cities from Honolulu to Baltimore, becoming the largest school-based program of its kind in the nation.

What Vision To Learn does is simple, but not easy, and is a great example of how a community can work together to make a difference. We have a great staff with a tireless leader, Ann Hollister. We are supported by the generosity of many individuals, companies and foundations. We benefit from collaboration with other civic organizations like the Rotary Club. And we work closely with our most important partners, teachers and nurses, to deliver our services to kids.

And that’s just the beginning. Vision To Learn’s goal is to make sure each and every one of the 2,000,000 kids who lack the glasses they need are provided with them, free of charge.