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NEWS

Coleman Hunter Charitable Trust Builds on Capital Success

4/4/2016

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Conexus received a gift from the Coleman Hunter Charitable Trust as a match to the outstanding Cabell Foundation challenge award.  The Coleman Hunter gift moves Conexus one step closer to finalizing the $114,500 match, with just a little over $19,000 still pending.  Conexus is eager to close the gap and secure the much needed funding to purchase additional equipment, software, and technology upgrades and finalize the last few items on the renovations of the Conexus headquarters.  If you are interested in making a donation to the Capital fund, please contact Tim Gresham at Tim@ConexusVision.org. 
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Council for Pediatric Vision

2/12/2016

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The Conexus Council for Pediatric Vision met this morning in Richmond, VA.  Exciting plans are being made for a ground breaking study, partnering with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) that will likely change the way children are screened for vision problems throughout the United States. 

“The mission of Conexus is to eliminate poor vision as barriers to success, and our vision is that every child reach their fullest potential,” said Conexus CEO Tim Gresham.  “Our study will determine best practice public screening methods and protocols,” added Gresham.
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Pictured (l to r) Ed Wortham, MD; Evan Silverstein, MD; Melissa Perry, Conexus Director of Programs and Public Health; Tim Gresham, Conexus President and CEO; Bo Pegram, OD; Margaret Meara, EdD; Katie Sloan, Smart Beginnings; Teresa Isom; RN, BSN.  Not pictured, The Honorable Roxann Robinson, OD and member of Virginia House of Delegates.
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Conexus Council for Pediatric Vision members Ed Wortham, MD and Evan Silverstein, MD review vision screening data prior to Council Meeting
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Starting Off the New Year of Programs

1/6/2016

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The first screening of the new year took place this morning at the Gingerbread Cottage Preschool in Mechanicsville, VA.  Conexus Screening Technician, Corrine Huber, screened 22 four-year-old children, five of whom (23%) received a referral notification to their parent regarding a possible vision problem.

80% of what a child learns in school is through vision, and one in four school children has a vision problem significant enough to impact learning.  Conexus seeks to eliminate undetected and untreated vision problems before they can become barriers to success in school or life, and our friends at Gingerbread Cottage Preschool support our mission.
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Kindergarten readiness is multifaceted.  It includes things like learning the alphabet, colors, and shapes and learning to share, wait your turn, and put on your own shoes. But it also involves making sure that our children have everything they need to be “ready” to learn.  Good vision is a critical component of success in school, and Gingerbread Cottage Preschools are working hard to cover their bases as they prepare their children for school.

Conexus will visit two other Gingerbread Cottage Preschool locations over the next few weeks.  If you have a child in preschool,  check with your director to see if your child’s vision needs are being addressed!
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Corrine Huber, Conexus VisioCheck Technician, delivers a technology-based screening to a student at Gingerbread Cottage Preschool in Mechanicville, VA. Traditional screening methods (i.e. wall charts) can produce unreliable results, especially in young children who may not fully understand the screening instructions. Technology-based screening is very quick (less than 5 seconds) and requires no response from the child, significantly improving the reliability of the results and catching many children with problems that otherwise may not be identified until much later.
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Conexus Announces Members of Newly Formed Expert Panel

12/15/2015

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As Conexus continues its growth, reaching tens of thousands of children each year through mass screenings, the organization is convening a panel of experts to formally review and approve Conexus programs as best practice.  To provide a broad , well rounded perspective of the program, the panel includes representation from the both the medical and education community and consists of two pediatric ophthalmologists, two optometrists, a representative from public health, a representative from public education, and a representative from early childhood education.  The committee will be staffed by Conexus.

Panel Members:
  • Dr. Edwin Wortham, M.D., Pediatric Ophthalmologist, Conexus Board member
  • Dr. Evan Silverstein, M.D., Pediatric Ophthalmologist, VCU
  • Dr. Charles “Bo” Pegram, Jr., OD, Conexus Board Chairman
  • The Honorable Roxann Robinson, OD, member VA House of Delegates
  • Dr. Margaret Meara, EdD., former Superintendent Powhatan County Schools, Conexus Board member
  • Ms. Teresa Isom Teresa Isom, RN, BSN, Public Health Nurse Supervisor, Chesterfield County
  • Ms. Katie Sloan, Coalition Coordinator – Smart Beginnings Hopewell-Prince George
  • Tim Gresham, President and CEO, Conexus
  • Melissa Perry, Community Programs and Public Health Director, Conexus

The panel will gather for it’s first program assessment in January.
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Head Start Programs Benefit From VisioCheck  

11/11/2015

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VisioCheck statistics show that Head Start programs tend to have higher referral rates for vision problems in their student population.  On average, Head Start programs refer at 33-35%, which is well above the national average of 25%.

Since 80% of what a child learns in a normal classroom setting it’s critical that they start their education with all the benefits of their goof vision. 

We invest a significant amount of resources to help insure good, quality kindergarten readiness programs for some of our most “at risk” children.  Please help us in our efforts to standardize vision programs in Head Start to make sure all of our children are getting the very best comprehensive programming available in the nation!

"Those identified with vision problems, have an increase in class participation and some of them in playground activities."

"Parents are more serious about getting follow up for their child, when they are given the visual results they can take to the physician"

"Staff are always cooperative and helpful and very complimentary."

"Teachers, parents, and other staff are very pleased with VisioCheck and feel it is one of the best services we offer the children!"
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Conexus Chairman of the Board Making a Difference  

11/6/2015

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Charles “Bo” Pegram, O.D. serves as the Chairman of the Board at Conexus but his service doesn’t stop there!  Just last week Bo, volunteered to provide free eye exams to more than 30 elementary students that were identified as having a potential vision problem through the Conexus VisioCheck program.
 
This is Bo’s 2nd year volunteering his professional services to students who may otherwise not get the vision care they need!  Bo’s been practicing optometry for more than 30 years and knows the importance of the work being done at Conexus.  Bo has lead Conexus through some of it’s most exciting and challenging times as it merged from Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic and we’re grateful for his support!

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Conexus and Essilor Vision Foundation Bring Smiles to Students in Richmond City Schools  

11/5/2015

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Conexus, through a grant from the Jenkins Foundation, provided VisioCheck programming to over 3,000 kindergarten and third grade students in Richmond City Schools.  Students in need of follow-up services were then supported with free eye exams and glasses through two mobile clinics.
 
Conexus partnered with the Texas-based Kids Vision For Life mobile vision clinic to bring on-site eye exams and glasses to Virginia students as part of the Mobile Clinic’s east coast tour.  One of the stops on the tour was Richmond City’s G. H. Reid Elementary.  See what our nurse partner had to say about the program:
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“My teachers, parents and students at G. H. Reid Elementary School, were very pleased with the Conexus and Essilor partnership. The Essilor vision Van was fantastic! They were also very effecient 56 of my students received glasses in 1 and 1/2 days! You should have seen the smiles on the student's faces when they received their glasses! Is there anything I can do to request this again? This is the best partnership I have seen for children's vision services in my 29 years as a veteran school nurse! Thank you so much!"
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Conexus Offers Technology Support in Neighboring State

10/10/2014

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Conexus Director of Community Programs and Public Health, Melissa Perry, is visiting neighboring PBNC Affiliate to help support the implementation of the Conexus-created online voucher request and processing program.  Melissa developed the online request system and companion data base, which has been an important time saver for our partners and staff.  The system can be accessed by registered partners and provides step by step qualification and request processing-all electronically.  Fulfilled requests are populated into a management database to help insure best practice in voucher disbursement.  Conexus is very pleased to be working with PBNC in this capacity, and looks forward to other opportunities for partnerships across the country.

 

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Headquarters: 11618 Busy Street, Richmond, VA 23236
Washington Office: 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 700, Alexandria, VA 22314
(804) 423-2020   |   (888) 790-2020   |   www.ConexusVision.org   |   contact us
A Tradition of Saving Sight
Conexus, formerly known as Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic, was established in 1957 as the National Society to Prevent Blindness - Virginia Affiliate. Throughout our history, our name has changed to reflect our vision and reach, but our mission is clear: eliminating undetected and untreated vision problems as barriers to success, enabling all children to reach their fullest potential.


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Conexus is a 501(c)3 public charity, IRS Tax ID 46-5257732. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
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