Vision Is Priceless
A lot is happening with Vision Is Priceless (VIP), one of our Deercreek Women’s Alliance Charities! It was founded in 1996 and their mission is to assess, sustain, and improve the visual health of children and adults in Northeast Florida through education, vision screenings, eye exams, prescription glasses and referrals for additional testing for potential surgery – all for prevention of early detection of vision problems. Vision Is Priceless is the only organization in NE Florida {Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, and Baker Counties} providing free exams and glasses for children uninsured and underserved.
DWA’s 2024-25 monetary donation: Helped economically disadvantaged students and hosted a “Sight in Schools” clinic at Holiday Hill Elementary, where they provided eye exams to 20 students on Valentine’s Day. What a perfect way to show them some love!
VIP and FOCI (Families of Slain Children) partnership: Two DWA charities got together on August 16, 2025 for a common cause. FOCI’s “Back to School” event brought in approximately 65 children for Vision screening out of which there were 15 children that require complete eye exam and glasses. Our very own Debbie Grosnick with Morgan Schmidt and Cheryl Stakes (Exec. Director) from VIP were there for the event.
‘Sight in Schools Program’ Impact: Huge accomplishments during the 2024-2025 school year with stats better than the previous year. A quote from Cheryl Stakes “This school year, since August 11th, we’ve already provided more than 400 students with exams and glasses. The need is great, and thanks to partners like DWA, we can continue restoring sight, hope, and opportunity for local kids who need it most.”
- Held 142 Sight in Schools clinics in local elementary, middle, and high schools
- Provided 37,049 vision screenings for children ages 3-18 for the early detection of vision issues
- Provided 3,190 comprehensive eye exams for students in need while at school
- Distributed 2,667 prescription eyeglasses enabling students to see their world clearly
- 11% of the children receive referrals for further care
A resounding 100% of the school staff report a stronger understanding of vision health and it’s impact on childhood learning following VIP’s vision screening!
Adult Vision Program: Vison screening for low in-come , underserved and uninsured adults also have made a huge impact in the client’s lives.
- 100% clients reported that vision screening improved their lives
- 79% stated that they will be able to function better independently
- 52% reported that improved vision would help them regain employment
- 3,299 vision screening provided
- 1,764 eye exams provided including specialty exams
- 2,814 prescription and reading glasses distributed
- 68 sight-restoring surgeries performed!
Strides for Sight Walk! Coming soon!!!! The 9th Annual Family Festival & Walk is coming up. Let’s show our support at this event. Details to follow in the upcoming months on this but below is the flyer for the walk.
When: November 22, 2025
Where: Riverside Park
Time: 9 am – 12 pm
Please see attached flyer for more information. Further information will be shared closer to the event to get the DWA community to come together for this fun event!
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More information on this wonderful organization can be found on their website visionispriceless.org
Stay tuned for more info on the Walk ! Please reach out for any questions or would like to join the walk to Vandana Srinivas at [email protected]
