Organizations Unite to Provide Sight to CPS Students' Sore Eyes.

CHICAGO -- More than 3,000 Chicago Public School students will receive free eye exams and glasses when two Give the Gift of Sight Vision Vans make a stop in Chicago and head to Near North Career High School, 1450 N. Larrabee, from April 4 through April 15.

CPS, Chicago Communities In Schools (CCIS), Lions Club (District 1-A) and Luxottica Retail, the parent company of LensCrafters, along with the philanthropic arm of the organization, the Give the Gift of Sight Foundation, have partnered to address CPS students' need for eyeglasses. According to recent CPS estimates, of the approximately 427,000 Chicago Public School students, approximately 45,000 need eyeglasses.

"It is our desire to provide students with the resources they need to learn," said CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan. "While CPS is currently involved in several initiatives to address the student need for glasses, thanks to our partnership with Luxottica Retail, CCIS and the Lions Club we will be able to meet the need of thousands of students."

Due to the dedication and work of all the partners, the number of students receiving glasses will triple this year compared to last year, which further demonstrates the impact of community partnerships with the schools. This initiative alone has a monetary value of more than $500,000. Area doctors and associates, who volunteer their time, staff the LensCrafters' vans.

"LensCrafters is committed to helping make vision possible for underprivileged children and being a valuable community resource to Chicago," stated Patrick Gibson, Regional Manager, Operations-Chicago, LensCrafters. "We look forward to the continued success of this partnership, which is now in its sixth year."

"Basic needs - including not being able to see the blackboard - can prevent children from learning," says Jane Mentzinger, executive director of CCIS. "Our partnership with LensCrafters has been so successful in the past that they have agreed to bring both of their vans for this one initiative."

CCIS is a not-for-profit organization that works exclusively to connect CPS students and their families with existing social services to address critical unmet needs. CCIS has been working with CPS to address the school district's students' vision needs for nearly eight years and has provided several thousand CPS students with glasses. Visit www.chicagocis.org for more information.

The District 1-A Chicago-area Lions Club has been working to provide children with glasses in the CPS for the past six years. Recently, the group gave $25,000 during their regional convention to assist with the vision care efforts of CPS.

The Chicago Public Schools is the nation's third-largest school district. The school system operates more than 600 schools and serves approximately 427,000 students.

The LensCrafters Vision Vans: Thousands of children have climbed aboard the vision vans to receive free eye care and new glasses. These 40-foot vision vans travel throughout North America delivering free eye care and new glasses to disadvantaged children. Each year, the vans travel to approximately 80 cities, helping 15,000 children pre-selected by local agencies. LensCrafters is the largest optical retailer in the world based on revenue with 882 locations in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. To find the store nearest you, click on www.lenscrafters.com or call 1-800-522-LENS (5367).