Conexus received a $25,000 award from the Community Foundation in support of VisioCheck delivery for the Richmond Mobile project.  Richmond Mobile, a cornerstone project of the Kids 20/20 Campaign, will bring direct services to students in Richmond Public Schools while collecting data to support further project expansion.  The Community Foundation is well known in the Richmond region for their commitment to improving communities, and Conexus is honored to have been recognized as an organization with the capacity to affect change.

Last week, Conexus technicians delivered VisioCheck to the 389 students at Redd Elementary in Richmond.  The technology based, comprehensive vision program identified 126 students (32%) with potential vision problems, which is well above the 25% national average.  Every child will be sent home with their individualized screening report this week.  The simplistic yet informative report is designed to communicate screening results with parents and encourage compliance with the recommended follow-up. 

The Richmond Mobile Project is one of the cornerstone projects of the Kids 20/20 Campaign and is a collaboration with Los Angeles-based Vision to Learn (VTL).  Vision to Learn will bring its full service mobile clinic to Richmond Public Schools to offer onsite eye exams-and glasses if needed-to the students found to have a potential vision problem through the Conexus VisioCheck program.  The Conexus screening reports for referred students have been modified for this collaboration to double as a permission form for the on-site eye exams.  Conexus and VTL hope that streamlined parental communications and school support through the collaborative partnership will result in a high parental response on program permissions and utilization of the onsite clinic.

The VTL mobile clinic will be visiting Redd Elementary in early October to provide eye exams to referred students, and those who need glasses will get to pick out their frames the same day!  Glasses are then sent to the lab for processing and will be returned to students at an assembly on October 26th, which will be the official division-wide launch of the program.  This process will continue through the 2018/2019 school year, eventually providing VisioCheck programs to over 26,000 students and exams and glasses to as many as 6,500!

The Robins Foundation has awarded $50,000 in total to Conexus to support the Richmond Mobile project.  The Robins Foundation award will specifically be used to provide VisioCheck programming to over 15,000 Richmond school children throughout the 2017/2018 school year.  VisioCheck delivery is step one in a two-step program to improve vision and educational outcomes for RPS students. 

Students identified through the VisioCheck program as having a potential vision problem will be offered free onsite eye exams and glasses, if needed, through a mobile clinic operated by Vision To Learn, a national non-profit. The collaborative effort between Conexus and Vision To Learn is designed to eliminate untreated poor vision as a barrier to academic success.
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Robins Foundation is a strong proponent of K-12 education in the Richmond region and Conexus is proud to have their support.  

Yesterday, Conexus was again featured on Richmond's Channel 8 Showcase, in a segment sponsored by Haley Buick GMC to highlight our mission and our Kids 20/20 Campaign.

We are grateful to Haley for their support of our mission and for their help in raising awareness of the importance of children's vision to their success in school. 

Yesterday, a pre-recorded video of our Kids 20/20 Campaign Chairman, Tom Shockley, along with Haley Buick/GMC Manager, Barry Moore, ran on Richmond's WRIC TV Channel 8.  Mr. Moore was introduced to Conexus' work and the campaign at the June 16 event at Governor and Mrs. Gilmore's home, where he became moved by our mission and pledged support through The Showcase.

The Showcase features a charity each week and is sponsored by Haley as a public service.   In addition to the broadcast, Haley has posted the video on their Facebook page.

Another interview, featuring Tim Gresham, Conexus President and CEO, will air next weekend. We are grateful for the support of Mr. Shockley, Mr. Moore, and Haley Buick/GMC.