Glendale, AZ (September 23, 2025) – EyeCare4Kids™―a multi-state non-profit organization that provides professional eye care services to low-income, visually impaired children and underserved families in Arizona through its vision clinic at Barcelona Elementary School (Alhambra Elementary School District) ―today announced that Thunderbirds Charities has awarded $25,000 in grant funding for the 2025 Sight 4 Success AZ Vision Program. This charitable contribution will support the delivery of over
1,000 vision care services, including visual acuity screenings, eye exams, and prescription eyeglasses for
local students during the 2025-26 school year.
“We thank Thunderbirds Charities for recognizing EyeCare4Kids and the vital vision services we provide to students and their families in the greater Phoenix area,” said Maggie Cline, chief executive officer, EyeCare4Kids. “We anticipate that this grant will help us expand our services by more than 25 percent compared to last year, when we provided over 3,200 vision care services to help students see clearly. Ensuring the delivery of vision screenings and eye exams is crucial to fostering health equity in this community and to support children’s success in school.”
The much-needed vision services that Thunderbirds Charities is supporting will be provided to uninsured, under-insured or AHCCCS (Arizona Medicaid) patients at no-cost at EyeCare4Kids’ year- round, school-based clinic adjacent to the district’s Alhambra Family Resource Center on the Barcelona Elementary School campus (grades K-8), which serves basic needs for children and families in Maricopa County. Through this dynamic school/community partnership, AESD students are transported to EyeCare4Kids for their vision appointments to reduce barriers to care. The clinic is also open to children outside of the district, by appointment.
Vision Screenings Improve Student Outcomes
Good vision is essential to set students up for success in school and in life. However, 1 in 4 children in the United States have imperfect vision, which is a problem given that 80 percent of a child’s learning happens through the eyes. Further, vision problems are more than double the national average in high- poverty neighborhoods.
Following up on annual screenings administered by school nurses, EyeCare4Kids works to identify Arizona schoolchildren who may have the most common of vision problems, such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) or lazy eye, among others. EyeCare4Kids provides youth who would otherwise go without care due to financial limitations with a more comprehensive eye exam, along with new prescription glasses, as needed. They can choose their favorite frames from the wall of options at the clinic without worrying about the cost. By maintaining community-based clinics that offer regular, preventative care and community outreach through mobile vision clinics, EyeCare4Kids demonstrates its ongoing commitment to transforming lives through accessible vision care.
Glasses have an immediate and positive impact on children with correctible vision problems and help school performance as well as increase their confidence. EyeCare4Kids manufactures and fits glasses for
This grant is part of the Spring 2025 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees.